Letter: Relief at last
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Knowing your passion for truth and accuracy, may I point out the error in last week's "Who? What? Where?" competition answers (Independent Magazine, 31 July)?
To the question of where Duchamp's urinal was first exhibited, the stated answer was the first exhibition of the Society of Independent Painters (sic: should be Independent Artists) in New York in 1917.
As is well known, the urinal was rejected from the supposedly jury-free exhibition when Duchamp submitted it under the pseudonym "R Mutt". Despite the organisers' embarrassment when they discovered the true identitiy of the "artist", there is no evidence that the work was subsequently included in the exhibition.
The month after the exhibition opened, an article on "The Richard Mutt Case" written by Duchamp and others for the short-lived magazine The Blind Man claimed that the urinal "disappeared and never was exhibited".
However, as I mentioned in my competition entry, Francis Naumann in his comprehensive New York Dada 1915-23 (p.184) has documentary evidence that nine days after the exhibition opened, the urinal was on display at Alfred Stieglitz's gallery. That is presumably the correct answer to your question.
As so often with conceptual art, arguments about Duchamp's work are so much more interesting than the works themselves.
Now then, what about my bottle of champagne?
Dr NIGEL VAUX HALLIDAY
Liss, Hampshire
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments