Danto says that to reiterate his own epiphany upon first seeing Warhol's boxes. But I think the idea is easily traced to Duchamp: his statements, his work, and his influence, his rejection of occular art and emphasis on idea as paramount. Warhol extended the idea to include the low art commonplace or iconic cultural products. He was clear about it whereas Duchamp still equivocated a bit by erasing the line between anything and high art and implying that the aesthetic could be projected by anyone to anything. What Warhol erased was the aesthetic part.
WC
