To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain (1917), on 9 April, museums of modern and contemporary art around the world will offer free entry to their exhibitions and collections for one hour between 3–4pm – provided visitors can give the ‘secret password’ at the front desk: Richard Mutt (the faux signature ‘R. Mutt’ inscribed on the infamous urinal was supposedly that of the plumber who had built it). On 9 April 1917 Duchamp unveiled his incendiary readymade at the preview of the ‘First Annual Exhibition’ held by the Society of Independent Artists in New York, which was subsequently rejected by the society’s board of directors.
The project, which was conceived by art historian Thomas Girst (author of The Indefinite Duchamp (2013) and The Duchamp Dictionary (2014) among others), has been endorsed by the Association Marcel Duchamp. Along with free entry to museums and galleries, a dedicated men’s room in each institution will become a unisex bathroom, ‘to provide space for everyone wanting to honor the centennial … with impromptu readings, homages, proclamations, and performances’.
Participating museums and galleries include:
The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Serpentine Galleries, London; Tate Modern, London; Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin; Centre Pompidou, Paris; The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Staedel Museum, Frankfurt; Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing; Kunsthalle Basel; Lenbachhaus, Munich; Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart; Staatliches Museum Schwerin; Museum Ludwig, Cologne.
5 April 2017
