Duchamp called into question what defines a work of art by modifying or repositioning select fabricated objects. This is his first readymade, with which he produced a “machine” that does not work. By creating art out of manufactured items, the artist rejected established notions of aesthetic value and the process of creativity. Reflecting on his readymades in 1968, he said: “They look trivial, but they’re not. On the contrary, they represent a much higher degree of intellectuality.”