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“Our Mutt” by Richard Graham 2007
Material: Carpet in wooden frame
Size: width 34 x height 48.5 cm
“Our Mutt” is a piece of old carpet found wet and disregarded on a pavement of East London.
The piece of carpet is a reference to the father figure of the “ready-made”, Marcel Duchamp, who first defined
the concept of the “found-object” – an idea that has influenced countless artists.
The dog caricature’s title is also a more specific historical reference to Marcel Duchamp’s first readymade
piece “Fountain”. Made in 1917 “Fountain”, a found urinal was signed by Duchamp with pseudonym name “R
Mutt” and entered for an art exhibition.
With this Duchamp challenged traditional preconceptions of what art is. He stated that it was not important
whether or not “Mr Mutt” had made the work with his hands; what mattered was that he had chosen it.
Material: Carpet in wooden frame
Size: width 34 x height 48.5 cm
“Our Mutt” is a piece of old carpet found wet and disregarded on a pavement of East London.
The piece of carpet is a reference to the father figure of the “ready-made”, Marcel Duchamp, who first defined
the concept of the “found-object” – an idea that has influenced countless artists.
The dog caricature’s title is also a more specific historical reference to Marcel Duchamp’s first readymade
piece “Fountain”. Made in 1917 “Fountain”, a found urinal was signed by Duchamp with pseudonym name “R
Mutt” and entered for an art exhibition.
With this Duchamp challenged traditional preconceptions of what art is. He stated that it was not important
whether or not “Mr Mutt” had made the work with his hands; what mattered was that he had chosen it.
