PISS ARTISTS
CALLE
DEMUTH
HAMMONS
HASEGAWA
MANNEKEN PIS
QUINN
SERRANO
SMITH
WARHOL
URINAL ARTISTS
Fountain (after Marcel Duchamp: A.P.)
1991
Bronze
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
"What's so special about a copy of a famous work of art? If you compare Levine's Fountain with the photograph of Duchamp's sculpture, you'll notice that it's not an exact copy. Most notably, Duchamp's piece was an actual urinal, turned upside down and unaltered except for his signature. . . . In contrast, Levine's Fountain is a contemporary urinal cast in a precious metal—bronze, the traditional material for casting sculpture. Polished to a brilliant shine, this work is no longer a common, store-bought object but something quite unique. Levine's Fountain is placed at the entrance to the permanent collection exhibition galleries as a hint at the changes that have taken place in art over our century. Moreover, this sculpture shows that today's artistic innovations continue to be built on the achievements of the past."