Object to Be Destroyed
sculpture by Man Ray
Object to Be Destroyed is a work by American artist Man Ray, originally created in 1923. The work consists of a metronome with a photograph of an eye attached to its swinging arm. After the piece was destroyed in 1957, later remakes in multiple copies were renamed Indestructible Object. Considered a "readymade" piece, in the style established by Marcel Duchamp, it employs an ordinary manufactured object, with little modification, as a work of art. Examples of the work are held in various public collections including the Tate Modern in London, MOMA in New York City, and the Reina Sofía in Madrid.
Original and early remakes
The metronome, originally manufactured by the Qualite Excelsior company, was a mass-produced product that might be commonly found in many homes. It was probably secondhand when Man Ray reconfigured it as an art object, as it was marred, worn, missing minor parts and stood on mismatched feet, though its mechanism was in fair working order. Its box was made of wood, but its internal elements are metal, its front door removable.
The original Object to Be Destroyed was created in 1923. According to Man Ray, the piece was intended as a silent witness in his studio to watch him paint.
The public source identifies “Object to Be Destroyed” as sculpture by Man Ray. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Object, Destroyed and sculpture.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Object to Be Destroyed”, the useful work is to connect “sculpture by Man Ray” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 17, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q7075067. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1923 and 1957.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Object to Be Destroyed”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Object to Be Destroyed primary sources, Object to Be Destroyed archive and Object research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Object to Be Destroyed”?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Object to Be Destroyed” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.