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vigorously defended “Fountain” as an artwork, but the

other members wouldn’t budge. Duchamp understood

that institutions, even well-meaning arts institutions,

tend to be conservative no matter how liberal their

founding ideals. Duchamp kept at it, but when he

realized the futility of his protestations, he quit the

committee.

The rejection of “Fountain” undoubtedly triggered a

sense of déjà vu. Five years prior, in Paris, Duchamp

had tried to enter a painting titled “Nude Descending a

Staircase, No. 2” in an exhibition organized by the

Société des Artistes Indépendants. This salon exhibi-

tion was established in direct response to the rigid

traditionalism of the official government-sponsored

salon (an annual art exhibition). It was supposed to

embrace an artistically more enlightened point of view.

(At the time, getting one’s work accepted in a salon

show was the primary way French artists established

themselves as art-making professionals.) To

Duchamp’s dismay, the “progressive” organizers of this