What concept did Marcel Duchamp challenge with the artwork "Fountain"?

Marcel Duchamp's artwork "Fountain," which is a porcelain urinal presented as art, directly challenged the very definition of what constitutes art. By selecting a mass-produced object and designating it as art simply by placing it in a gallery, Duchamp provoked thought about the boundaries and criteria that traditionally define art. This act of redefining art forced audiences and critics to question whether intention, context, and the artist's choice are essential components of art, rather than aesthetic qualities alone.

Duchamp's "Fountain" effectively argued that art could be something other than a handmade object or a representation of beauty, thereby expanding the conversation about art's role in society and the artist's influence on that role. The reception and controversy surrounding "Fountain" highlighted the fluidity of artistic significance and opened the door for future movements in contemporary art that embrace a similar questioning of form and meaning.