No, Sir. H. L. Mencken said, “No one in this world, so far as I know… has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people.” 19 September 1926
According to Bartlett, the misquote is often made.
OK, these guys are brilliant. Urinating on Duchamp’s Fountain works on so many levels. I’m not being silly here, either. You can call it art, but really, it’s just a urinal. I love it. Jumping naked into My Bed is just as brilliant.
I do enjoy the titles of their other pieces, too. Two Artists Swim Across the Thames, Two Artists Run Naked Across Westminster Bridge with Tony Bear and Naked Soy Sauce and Ketchup Fight at Buckingham Palace.
If I had money, I’d cut these guys a check.
Yeah, what works about the guys pissing on Duchamp’s Fountain is that it does the same thing that Duchamp intended to do with his piece: challenge the preconceived notions of the art world about what is and isn’t art. It revived the original spirit of the piece, and I bet Duchamp would have loved it.