Marcel Duchamp was a prankster, a rabble-rouser, and an envelope pusher. Over a century after he plunged a bicycle wheel into a four-legged stool, artists are still paying homage to his life and work.
The artist, who passed away in 1968, always had a sense of humor about his work and ensured that no one could map out his oeuvre without noticing his tricks. For example, his 1964 Fountain is a “hand-crafted, editioned, gallery-sanctioned, sort-of-signed simulation of the functional urinal” that Duchamp originally presented to the viewing public in 1917.
Here are seven reasons why we love the artist, on what would be his 128th birthday.