Abstract

An enduring paradigm of the trickster archetype comprises artfulness in creating chaos and the ability to do so with a synthesis of autonomy, pointed humor, and clever storytelling. These attributes, found in trickster archetypes throughout the world, are also found in the conceptual art of Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968). By framing examples of Duchamp’s conceptual readymade art through these attributes, it is posited that Duchamp’s transformational influence on contemporary art during the twentieth century and beyond is more clearly understood. Furthermore, and in support of this claim, an introduction to Duchamp’s concept of the “esthetic echo” is presented.