Why did Marcel Duchamp select mass-produced objects as ready-mades?

Marcel Duchamp selected mass-produced, commonplace objects as ready-mades primarily to challenge the traditional art world. By utilizing these items, he aimed to protest the excessive importance placed on the uniqueness of art objects.1

This approach served to redefine art as an intellectual process rather than a purely material one, effectively stripping away the requirement for the artist to create a unique physical work. Through works like Bicycle Wheel and Fountain, Duchamp shifted the focus from the craftsmanship of the object to the artist's conceptual choice, a philosophy that later became a cornerstone for movements such as Dada, Pop art, and conceptual art.1