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Overview
What is Dada?
c. 1916 – 1924Period
Zurich, SwitzerlandBegan in
12Key artists on this page
10Works with free images
5Museums to visit
Dada () or Dadaism was an international art movement that developed in the context of World War I, its aftermath, and the Futurist movement. First established in Zürich, Switzerland, it later quickly spread to Berlin, Paris, New York City and a variety of artistic centers in Europe and Asia. The Dada movement focused on rejecting prevailing ideas surrounding art, and more broadly in society. The Dada movement's principles were first collected in Hugo Ball's Dada Manifesto in 1916. Ball is seen as the founder of the Dada movement. Other key figures in the movement included Emmy Hennings, Jean Arp, Johannes Baader, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, George Grosz, Raoul Hausmann, John Heartfield, Hannah Höch, Richard Huelsenbeck, Francis Picabia, Man Ray, Hans Richter, Kurt Schwitters, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Tristan Tzara, and Beatrice Wood, among others.From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Original Art Movements text
This is the text that appeared on this page on the original Art Movements site. It is kept for reference; some statements are simplified or out of date. Where it differs from the overview, characteristics and dates above, which are checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata, trust those instead.
An international movement among European artists and writers between 1915 and 1922, characterised by a spirit of anarchic revolt. Dada revelled in absurdity, and emphasised the role of the unpredictable in artistic creation.
It began in Zürich with the French poet Tristan Tzara thrusting a penknife into the pages of a dictionary to randomly find a name for the movement. This act in itself displays the importance of chance in Dada art. Irreverence was another key feature: in one of Dada’s most notorious exhibitions, organised by Max Ernst, axes were provided for visitors to smash the works on show.
While perhaps seeming flippant on the surface, the Dada artists were actually fuelled by disillusionment and moral outrage at the unprecedented carnage of World War One, and the ultimate aim of the movement was to shock people out of complacency.
Among the leading Dadaists were Marcel Duchamp (whose Mona Lisa adorned with moustache and goatee is a Dada classic), George Grosz, Otto Dix, Hans Richter and Jean Arp. The movement had a strong influence on Pop Art, which was sometimes called neo-Dada.
Bicycle Wheel by Marcel Duchamp, 1913 · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Period
c. 1916 – 1924
Began in
Zurich, Switzerland
Key artists
Tristan Tzara, Max Ernst, George Grosz, Jean Arp
Related
Surrealism, De Stijl, Constructivism
How to recognise it
Key characteristics of Dada
Rejection of logic, reason and traditional art
Chance, absurdity and humour
Collage, photomontage, readymades and sound poetry
Performance and provocation
A response to the horrors of the First World War
Timeline
When was Dada?
Dada is usually dated c. 1916 – 1924, beginning in Zurich, Switzerland. Dates for art movements are approximate: artists joined and left, and styles overlapped.
Each bar shows an artist's life; the shaded band is the main period of Dada.
Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven
Francis Picabia
Jean Arp
Raoul Hausmann
Kurt Schwitters
Hans Richter
Hannah Höch
Sophie Taeuber-Arp
Max Ernst
John Heartfield
George Grosz
Tristan Tzara
Dada
1874–1927
1879–1953
1886–1966
1886–1971
1887–1948
1888–1976
1889–1978
1889–1943
1891–1976
1891–1968
1893–1959
1896–1963
188019001920194019601980
Who
Key Dada artists
Artists linked to Dada in Wikidata, ordered by how widely they are covered on Wikipedia. Artists marked Art Icons have a full profile on our sister site.
An anti-art movement born in Zurich during the First World War that mocked logic and tradition.
When was Dada?
Dada: c. 1916 – 1924. It began in Zurich, Switzerland. Dates for art movements are approximate.
What are the main characteristics of Dada?
Rejection of logic, reason and traditional art; Chance, absurdity and humour; Collage, photomontage, readymades and sound poetry; Performance and provocation; A response to the horrors of the First World War.
Who are the most famous Dada artists?
Tristan Tzara, Max Ernst, George Grosz, Jean Arp, Francis Picabia.
What are some famous Dada works?
Bicycle Wheel by Marcel Duchamp; L'Œil cacodylate by Francis Picabia; Gift by Man Ray; Creatures by Hannah Höch; Passage from Virgin to Bride by Marcel Duchamp.
Where can I see Dada art?
Museum of Modern Art (New York, United States), Musée National d'Art Moderne (Paris, France), Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Nuremberg, Germany), Israel Museum (Jerusalem), Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, D.C., United States) hold works shown on this page.
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