Lecture: Duchamp’s Fountain: A Second Opinion

About the Talk

Bradley Bailey | Marcel Duchamp Gets a Second Opinion: Williams Carlos Williams and Albert Barnes Debate Fountain

One challenging factor in tracing the influence of Marcel Duchamp’s controversial readymade Fountain is that its initial impact was largely limited to spring 1917, when the Society of Independent Artists refused to display the work in its inaugural exhibition despite its “no-jury” policy. The resulting schism within the society’s leadership became a public scandal. The object disappeared shortly thereafter, and Fountain likewise seemed to vanish from discussion altogether until the 1950s, when neo-Dada—followed by pop and other movements inspired by the readymade—put Duchamp and his avant-garde works back in the spotlight.

Therefore, it’s surprising to unearth a conversation about Fountain between two prominent figures in American modernism, the poet William Carlos Williams and the unconventional art collector and theorist Dr. Albert Barnes. Their discussion, taking place in letters exchanged between September and November 1920, adds some much-needed insight into how influential members of the art community perceived Fountain at the time. It also reinforces how brilliantly divisive Fountain was, figuratively drawing a line in the sand that even some of the most dedicated supporters of the avant-garde in America simply could not cross.

This talk, by art historian and Duchamp scholar Bradley Bailey, coincides with the PMA’s Duchamp retrospective, on view October 10, 2026, through January 31, 2027.