Memoirs of a Dada Drummer (Documents of Twentieth-Century Art) [Paperback]

Richard Huelsenbeck (Author), Hans J. Kleinschmidt (Editor), Rudolf Kuenzli (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0520073703 | ISBN-13: 978-0520073708 | Publication Date: June 6, 1991

Huelsenbeck's memoirs bring to life the concerns--intellectual, artistic, and political--of the individuals involved in the Dada movement and document the controversies within the movement and in response to it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Indispensable for any library concerned with art, language, and theater in the early 20th century. -- Choice

[Dadas] influence remains apparent in the paradoxes and processes of absurdist theater; for example, conceptual art, and the use of chance in various media . . . . It may be hard sometimes to see through the Dadists display of nonsense to their true intentions. But this document confirms just how serious some of those intentions were. -- Christian Science Monitor

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Paperback: 252 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (June 6, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520073703
• ISBN-13: 978-0520073708
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,036,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Dadaism

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Richard Huelsenbeck's "Memoirs of a Dada Drummer", January 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Memoirs of a Dada Drummer (Documents of Twentieth-Century Art) (Paperback)

This is essential reading for anyone seriously interested in the progression of 20th century Art. Living in New York City late in his life, Richard Huelsenbeck - a seminal member of the original Dada group formed at Zurich's Cabaret Voltaire - looks back upon his role in Dada and Art (or rather"Anti-Art"), and tries to make some sense of it all. Though highly opinionated (especially in regards to the role of Tristan Tzara), he manages to objectively de-mystify much of the Dada legend and examine some of the human interactions and political and social motivations which sparked the birth of Dada. Low points include the incessant ¡°plugging¡± of his own work and his role in the birth of Dada, but this by no means overshadows his comments and observations about other ¡°Dadaists¡± or the importance of the movement as a whole.