Marcel Duchamp

Duchamp's iconic readymades from 1964, including Bicycle Wheel and Fountain, recreated with Italian gallerist Arturo Schwarz after many originals were lost.

Why go

The exhibition returns these seminal works to the Madison Avenue location where they debuted in America in 1965, coinciding with MoMA's first U.S. Duchamp retrospective since 1973. Duchamp's 1964 reconstructions deliberately challenge notions of artistic authenticity and originality—the artist himself authorized these editions as legitimate works.

What to expect

Installation views show readymades and mixed-media works across multiple gallery spaces: the bicycle wheel mounted on a stool, a porcelain urinal (Fountain), a modified Mona Lisa (L.H.O.O.Q.), a window frame (Fresh Widow), and a wooden hat rack, alongside a Boîte-en-valise (1935–49).

Things to know

• Roue de bicyclette (Bicycle Wheel) 1964 is the only surviving example not in a major museum collection.
• Many originals were lost or destroyed; Duchamp authorized these 1964 editions with gallerist Arturo Schwarz.
• Exhibition inaugurates Gagosian's new ground-floor space at 980 Madison, the same building where these works showed in 1965.
• Coincides with MoMA's Duchamp retrospective, the artist's first major U.S. survey since 1973.
• Works span readymades, altered found objects, and conceptual pieces that fundamentally challenged ideas of authorship.
• Duchamp's practice pioneered the notion that artistic intent and context matter more than manual execution.

Plan your visit

Gallery hours: Tuesday–Saturday 10–7. Located at 974 Madison Avenue (980 Madison at 76th Street). Phone: +1 212 744 2313. Email: newyork@gagosian.com.