Dada was a movement that responded to the horrors of war and modern society. They saw World War I as being so insane that its existence called into question the validity of the society that produced it. Dada proclaimed itself anti-war, anti-art, and was, in many ways, anarchic. The nonsense name and works of the movement were meant to draw attention to how nonsensical violence and war can be, and how insane it is to carry on with everyday life when such atrocities are occurring.
ARTISTS
Marcel Duchamp 1887-1968 French Marcel Duchamp challenged conventional art and ...
 
Hugo Ball
Hugo Ball 1886-1927 German Ball was a writer and performance artist born i...
 
ARTWORKS
In advance of the broken arm
Bicycle Wheel
Fountain
EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS
Salon des Indépendants 1921 1921-1921 The Salon des Indépendants in 1921 was the first exhibition to display Dada artwork in France. Cabaret Voltaire 1916-1917 Cabaret Voltaire was a nightclub founded by Hugo Ball in 1916. It was meant to be a gathering place for artists, and was a central meeting place for the Dada movement in Zurich. It featured performance art, music, and sound poetry performed by Dada artists. Although the club still exists to this day, the Dada artists only used the building for a year.