Marcel Duchamp, the master of "Duchampian irony," pioneered anti-art. Forget beauty and skill! His style, characterized by "readymades" – everyday objects like urinals and bottle racks displayed as art – challenged the very definition of art itself. Key themes included chance, Dadaism, critique of the art world, and intellectual engagement over aesthetics. He prized ideas over visual appeal, sparking revolutionary questions about originality, authorship, and the role of the artist. Think of it this way: Duchamp's "duh-champ" move was declaring anything, even a "duh"-mestic object, a champion piece of art.
