Below is a glossary article post in the category R which discusses the explanation of the meaning, definition and meaning of the acronym, term, jargon, or termonology of Readymade based on summaries from various types of sources (references) that are relevant, related, and trustworthy.
Understanding Readymade
So, what is actually meant by Readymade?
The term Readymade was first used by French artist Marcel Duchamp to describe the work of art he made from the objects produced. Since then it is often applied more generally to artwork by other artists made in this way.
Explanation of Readymade
Introduction
Duchamp’s earliest Readymades included a bicycle wheel in 1913, a wheel installed on a wooden bench, and before the arm broken in 1915, the snow shovel was written with the title. In 1917 in New York, Duchamp made the most famous Readymade, Fountain, Urinoir Men signed by artists with false names and exhibited were placed on his back. Readymades was then more complicated and called by Ducyt as the assisted Readymades.
For the Readymades Duchamp deliberately choosing an ordinary, functional object – and rather boring. The choices are:
“Based on the reaction of visual ignorance, at the same time there is no good or unpleasant taste …”
Duchamp as quoted in the art of collection: A Symposium, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 19 October 1961
Although the term readymade was discovered by Duchamp to describe his own art, since then it has been applied more generally to the work of art made from objects produced. For example the works of artists Yba Damien Hirest, Michael Landy and Tracey Emin, (like Emin’s My Bed 1998) can be described as readymades. (See the glossary page for objects found for more about artists who use objects found in their work).
In focus: Duchamp’s readymade theory
The theory behind Readymade is explained in the anonymous editorial published in the May 1917 edition of the Avant-Garde magazine the Blind Man Run by Duchamp and two friends:
Whether Mr Mutt with his own hand makes the fountain or not, not important. He chose it. He took an ordinary life article, and placed it so that its useful significance disappeared under the title and new point of view – creating new thoughts for the object.
There are three important points here: First, that the choice of object itself is a creative action. Second, that by canceling the ‘useful’ function of an object that becomes art. Third, that the presentation and addition of titles to the object has given him ‘new thought’, a new meaning. Readymades Duchamp also confirms the principle that art is determined by artists. Choosing the object itself is a creative action, canceling a useful function of the object to make it art, and its presentation in the gallery gives it a new meaning. This step is from the artist-as-making artists-as a choice is often seen as the beginning of movement to conceptual art, because the status of artists and objects is questioned. At that time, Readymade was seen as an attack on conventional understanding not only about the status of art but also its nature.
The term readymade …!
Interestingly, the term chosen by Duchamp to describe his new approach to making art itself is one of the ‘readymade’. At the end of the nineteenth century the term ‘ready to use’ was used to describe objects produced as handmade opponents.
Moreover, as we have seen above, this term is one of a collection of dictionaries, acronyms, terms, jargon, or terminology in the field of arts that begins with an alphabet or prefix R, as well as terms associated with R.
Meaning of Readymade in the English, Indonesian (Including Javanese and Sundanese), and Malaysian Translation Dictionary
Apart from discussing the meaning and discussion of the definition, to deepen it further, here we also need to know what the word means in the English, Indonesian (including Javanese and Sundanese) translation dictionaries, as well as Malaysia (Malay).
For easy understanding, in this glossary post, we will explain it in the form of a list of translations of terms from various types of languages as follows:
- English; Terminology = Readymade.
- Indonesian (including Javanese and Sundanese translations); Terminology = Readymade (Indonesian), Siap (Java), and Archymade in Sundanese.
- Malaysian; Terminology = Readymade.
Closing
OK, above there is the discussion and explanation of what is the meaning of Readymade.
Hopefully this article post that we have shared can be useful and can broaden our insight and literacy, especially in Art.
See also ours other articles related to the field of Art on the main blog page of our website.
Footnotes
This glossary post was created by referring to the conclusions of the meaning of definitions from various authoritative relevant references such as Wikipedia, Britannica and several other sources such as MoMA, Tate, ModernArts, and so on. This word is one of a collection of terminology in the field of Art which begins with the alphabet or prefix R. This article wasupdated in Dec of 2025.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity
- https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=readymade
- https://www.britannica.com/search?query=readymade
- View example images of readymade through Google here
- View example images of readymade on Bing here
- View example images of readymade on Yandex here
