Marcel Duchamp &
Man Ray—1921

The title Gift cloaks menace in politeness. It's a joke at the recipient’s expense—a present you wouldn’t want. Like Fountain, the title rewrites expectation, turning language into misdirection.

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A flatiron is rendered useless by the violent addition of a row of tacks. The object’s very utility—smoothing—is inverted into destruction. What once eliminated wrinkles now snags and tears.

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Gift was made the same day Man Ray met Duchamp in Paris. It’s not just a readymade—it’s a tribute. The form recalls Duchamp’s In Advance of the Broken Arm and Comb, but with its own violent logic.