Ep. 15: Is “Fountain” Art?
The Story of Duchamp’s "Fountain"
Welcome to Privy, the podcast (and now blog) where toilets and culture collide. I’m your host, Hunter Hoover—coming to you straight from the bathroom to ask: what is art, really? And more importantly… can a urinal be it?
Spoiler: Yes. Apparently.
When Toilets Become Art (Literally)
So there I was, sitting on my home throne, reflecting on the finer things in life—like how lucky I am to live in an age where plumbing is inside and not just a scary shack in the woods. But then my thoughts took a wild turn.
Art. What even is it anymore?
We live in a world where someone can label a moldy sandwich or an empty floss container as “commentary on consumerism” and boom—it’s gallery-worthy. In fact, today's artistic masterpiece is actually plumbing-related: Fountain, by Marcel Duchamp.
Yep, that’s right. Someone made a urinal... art. And not like, “artfully designed Kohler with brushed brass accents” kind of art. We’re talking “literally ripped off the wall, flipped on its back, and signed it” kind of art.
And it changed the art world forever.
Marcel Duchamp: The Man, The Myth, The Mutt
Let’s back up.
Marcel Duchamp, born in 1887, was French (because of course he was), and part of a family overflowing with artists. He was a painter, sculptor, writer, and apparently really into chess. He dabbled in post-impressionism—which is like regular impressionism, but with funkier colors and fewer Monet lilies—and eventually stumbled into Dadaism.
Not to be confused with toddler babble, Dada was an early 20th-century art movement where the goal was... to make no sense at all. Seriously. Dada artists were the trolls of the art world, gleefully flipping the bird at everything bourgeois and conventional.
And Duchamp? He was their crowned toilet prince.
A Urinal Walks into a Gallery
In 1917, Duchamp acquired a standard porcelain urinal, flipped it on its back like a dead bug, signed it “R. Mutt 1917,” and submitted it to an art exhibit in New York. It was titled Fountain.
The name “R. Mutt” was apparently a play on “Mott,” a plumbing company, and also a cheeky nod to cartoon characters Mutt and Jeff. Either way, it wasn’t meant to be profound. That was kind of the point.
Even though Duchamp paid the entrance fee—which technically guaranteed his piece would be shown—the exhibit folks tucked it away, horrified at the bold bathroom audacity.
Joke’s on them, because it later became one of the most important pieces of modern art in the 20th century.
Deep Thoughts About a Toilet
The magic of Fountain wasn’t the craftsmanship (he did zero crafting), or the aesthetics (again, it’s a toilet), but in what it said.
Duchamp was like: “If I say it’s art, is it art?”
And the art world, after many decades of arguing, basically said: “…Yeah, okay.”
This concept—called “readymade art”—took existing objects, removed their context, and challenged the viewer to reconsider their meaning. In other words: “What if a shovel… but on a wall?”
Privy’s Artistic Legacy
Now, I know what you're thinking: “Hunter, you just talk about poop. You’re not an art historian.”
Correct. But it turns out, toilets and art do have a surprising amount in common. They both hold our... inner thoughts. They both get judged unfairly. And when misunderstood, they both make people uncomfortable at dinner parties.
In fact, this very podcast might qualify as performance art. Or at least conceptual diarrhea.
And speaking of conceptual diarrhea…
Bonus Segment: Poop Typography
You thought we were done? Oh no.
Last year, a listener sent in what can only be described as alphabet poop. This person claims a friend is engaged in a literal crap project—sculpting English letters out of his own, uh, biological resources.
I have seen the photos. They are wild. That “S”? Uncanny.
Some letters are clearly talent. Some might be digestive destiny. Either way, this brave artist proves that the human body is the ultimate medium. Picasso had paint. This guy has fiber.
If you're reading this and you can poop a semicolon—email me immediately.
