Dada Defined

Dada was probably the most perplexing, astonishing and revolutionary art movement in world art history. How does one account for a work such as Marcel Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’ 1917, a porcelain urinal just as if taken from a men’s toilet, tipped sideways, inscribed with the fictional artist’s name of ‘R. Mutt’ and submitted for prestigious exhibition in New York? Or a performance at the Cabaret Voltaire at around the same time in Zürich where an audience is goaded into a hostile reaction to nonsensical gibberish presented as artistic entertainment?

In this book, the author provides a framework for decoding the work of the dadaists. Primarily intended as an introductory text that facilitates understanding and as groundwork for upper secondary art student study, it is also recommended for anyone who has an interest in art and wants to understand contemporary culture. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this movement in the history of art and its impact on modern artists.

The book includes many artwork reproductions in context with analysis.