An early twentieth century art movement which ridiculed contemporary culture and traditional art forms.

The word dada means several things in several languages: it's French for "hobbyhorse" and Slavic for "yes yes." Some say that the name Dada is a nonsensical word chosen at random from a dictionary.

Exploring Art Style

The movement was formed to prove the bankruptcy of existing style of artistic expression rather than to promote a particular style itself.

It was born as a consequence of the collapse during World War I of social and moral values which had developed to that time. Dada artists produced works which were nihilistic or reflected a cynical attitude toward social values, and, at the same time, irrational — absurd and playful, emotive and intuitive, and often cryptic.

Unconventional Forms

Less a style than a zeitgeist, Dadaists typically produced art objects in unconventional forms produced by unconventional methods. Several artists employed the chance results of accident as a means of production, for instance.

Many artists associated with this movement later became associated with Surrealism. Many other movements have been influenced by Dada, including Pop Art and Fluxus.

In Nutshell

Terminology
Rumanian poet Tristan Tzara, along with a group of poets and painters, stuck a penknife in a French dictionary at random and it landed on "dada," which means "hobbyhorse." Nonsensical term appealed to the "Dadaists."
Artists
Marcel Duchamp, Jean (Hans) Arp, Max Ernst, John Heartfield, Francis Picabia, Man Ray, and Kurt Schwitters.
Timeline
1915-1923.
Started In
New York and Western Europe (Zurich, Barcelona, Berlin, Cologne, and Paris).
About
Having seen the horrors of "modern" society in bringing about World War I, the Dadaists embraced irrational, intuitive, nihilistic, absurd and playful qualities; anything anti-modern and anti-rational. Dada has even been referred to as "anti-art." Dada isn't a style, but a world view.
Theme
Everyday objects placed in absurd combinations; found objects; abstract compositions.
Art Style
Photomontages; collage; realism; abstraction; importance of chance.
Known Work
DUCHAMP, In Advance of the Broken Arm, 1945, from the original of 1915.
DUCHAMP, Bicycle Wheel, 1913.
Inspiration
Futurism.
Become Inspiration Of
Surrealism, Conceptual Art, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Post-Modernism.