Dada was founded in 1916 as the expression of writers and artists who, in defiance of events, remained committed to international ideals in the creative field, drawing on the achievements of the pre-war avant-gardes. It evolved increasingly towards a general attack on European culture and society, articulated through humour, the absurd, disdain for artistic good taste, and celebration of the irrational. This talk will examine key moments and sites in the ‘movement’s’ brief history, which was shaped throughout by responses to the war and its aftermath.
Biography
Malcolm Gee is Senior Lecturer in Art History at Northumbria University.