Dada tests what can count as art

Slide 1

Dada questioned rules through materials and actions

Dada artists questioned established ideas about art through unexpected materials and actions. Their experiments extended beyond a single recognisable visual style.

Slide 2

Duchamp made selection and presentation part of the work

Duchamp's readymades brought manufactured objects into an artistic context. The choice and presentation of an object became central to the work.

Slide 3

Chance procedures could leave some results unplanned

Dada experiments included chance procedures as well as deliberate construction. An artist could create conditions in which not every result was planned.

Slide 4

Performances left evidence different from permanent objects

Dada activity included performances and public provocations. Some works were events rather than stable objects that could simply be hung on a wall.

Slide 5

Those experiments expanded later ideas of art

Dada's experiments helped expand later ideas about artistic materials and actions. Their questions continued after the movement's initial settings changed.

Sources

• Dada at MoMA

  Museum of Modern Art

• Marcel Duchamp

  Museum of Modern Art