Dada (Themes and Movements) [Hardcover]

Rudolf Kuenzli (Author)

Book Description

Series: Themes and Movements | Publication Date: October 15, 2006

Dada developed in distinct periods and locations, providing the structure of the book. From Europe and New York during the First World War it spread to Eastern Europe and Japan in the 1920s. Its re-emergence as Neo-Dada in the 1950s and influence on Fluxus in the 1960s was linked to emigres such as Marcel Duchamp and Hans Richter. Survey: International Dada expert Rudolf Kuenzli surveys Dada in its historical context and examines its significant impact and resonance in art and culture today. Linking visual art, performance and literature, this is a fresh treatement of Dada as the Dadaists saw it. A reassessment of one of the twentieth century's most revolutionary movements in the arts, Kuenzli's clear style is accessible to the scholar and the general reader. Works: Each image is accompanied by an extended caption. The book is organized chronologically and geographically around major explosions of Dada activity. From its inception in Zurich during the First World War, we follow Dada to New York, Berlin, Hannover, Cologne, Paris, Central and Eastern Europe, and Japan, finally looking at Neo-Dada. It is a roll-call of the avant-garde: Hugo Ball at the Cabaret Voltaire, Jean Arp's Automatic Drawing; Marcel Duchamp's readymades and Man Ray's assemblages; Francis Picabia's paintings linking machine and human form; collage with political comment from Raoul Hausmann and Hannah Hoch; Kurt Schwitter's all-encompassing concept of Merz; Max Ernst; from the East, the graphics of Lajos Kassak and El Lissitzky; Okada Tatsuo's constructions and fireworks attached to the cover of Mavo magazine. A look at Neo- Dada includes Robert Rauschenberg's "Erased de Kooning" and the Happenings of Hi Red Center. Documents include a comprehensive collection of original Dada writings, researched at the International Dada Archive and sourced from around the world. Poetry, manifestos and statements are presented together with letters between Tristan Tzara and Marcel Duchamp; Beatrice Wood describes 'The Richard Mutt Case' (the first exhibition of a urinal) to her readers of "The Blind Man in 1917"; and in recent interviews artists such as Allan Kaprow and Arman relate their Dada inheritance.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rudolf Kuenzli is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Iowa, Editor of the journal Dada/Surrealism, and Director of the International Dada Archive of the University of Iowa. Previous publications include Dada Artifacts (1978). He is a contributor to Artforum, Muttersprache and Diacritics and has edited Dada Spectrum: The Dialectics of Revolt (1979), New York Dada (1986), Marcel Duchamp: Artist of a Century (1988), Andre Breton Today (1989) and Surrealism and Women (1991)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press; First Edition edition (October 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714844233
• ISBN-13: 978-0714844237
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 10.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,235,744 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Surrealism
  • #40 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Dadaism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A seminal and core contribution, February 2, 2007

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dada (Themes and Movements) (Hardcover)

'Dada' is an art movement of the 20th Century which challenged authority, hierarchy, and political control - making it a subversive force within the established art communities in Western Europe and America. In disturbing societal norms with respect to art and cultural production, it was the forerunner and midwife to such movements as punk rock and pop art, questioning all previous assumptions about originality, art, and the role of the artist. Dada maintained that everyone should be an artist and that almost anything could be classified as art. The result was an influence on the dominant culture with respect to radical groups, social movements, and artistic expression down to the present day. "DADA" by Rudolf Kuenzli provides an descriptive analysis within an historical context, examining Dada's impact and resonance in the art and culture of this opening decade of the 21st Century from the avant-garde work of such Dada luminaries as Hugo Ball, Marcel Duchamp, many Ray, Francis Picabia, Raoul Hausmann, Hannah Hoch, Kurt Schwitter, Max Ernst, Lajos Kassak, and many others. Enhanced with the inclusion of Artists' Biographies, Authors' Biographies, a bibliography and an index, "DADA" is a seminal and core contribution to professional, academic, and community library Art History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.