Dadaism (Basic Art)

A precursor to Surrealism, the Dada movement stressed the absurd and unpredictable, the illogical and chaotic, lashing out against traditional esthetics and upending artistic conventions. Emerging from the artistic and intellectual milieu of Zurich during World War I, it signaled a re-evaluation of art's cultural relevance in the shadow of industrialized war. Jean Arp, Tristan Tzara, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray were among the most famous proponents of Dada, creating works that dared viewers to expand their notions of what might be considered art. This book explains the impulses and theories that gave rise to Dada, the forerunner of conceptual art. Featured artists: Max Ernst, George Grosz, John Heartfield, Johannes Baader, Hannah Hoch, Raoul Hausmann, Kurt Schwitters, Johannes Theodor Baargeld, Hans Arp, Marcel Duchamp, Francis Picabia, Tristan Tzara, Man Ray.