Abstract

This article is a discussion about how the conceptualization of art affected the idea of art, especially artworks following Duchamp’s footsteps, aided by the concept of end of art evoked by several authors. An overview about the writings on the end of art through history will be made considering Hegel’s, Adorno’s, Greenberg’s, and Danto’s points of view on the matter. Following the first part of the article, Duchamp’s contribution to contemporary art with his innovations and new ideas will be discussed. This contribution mostly consists of philosophically questioning Art’s limits and, while doing so, transforming art into something of the mind rather than just its physical aspect. Duchamp influenced many artists who followed, and who were able to explore new territories and materials, no longer limited by rules of how art, as prescribed by Greenberg, “should be.” This will help us understand the transition between modernism and contemporary art and its importance to how art is viewed today.