Events

Dada, the centenary of which is being celebrated this year, has often been presented as a form of anti-war protest. The precise connection between Dada and the First World War remains difficult to fathom, however, partly because the Dadaists spoke little about it themselves.

In order to address the problem, this lecture will focus on the particular case of Dada in Berlin, in which images of the war and of injured soldiers proliferated. While much of the literature on Berlin Dada quickly switches to the context of the German Revolution and the political activities of the Dadaists therein, the question of the legacy of the war will be addressed here and its possible relationship to the montage aesthetic the Dadaists are best known for.

Michael White is a professor in the History of Art Department at the University of York. He has published widely on the interwar avant-gardes, particularly on De Stijl and Dada, and is the author of De Stijl and Dutch Modernism (MUP, 2003) and Generation Dada: The Berlin Avant-Garde and the First World War (Yale UP, 2013). His new edition of Hans Richter's classic book Dada: Art and Anti-Art will be published in October.

This event is free of charge and open to all, but booking is advised. For more information please contact Corinne Painter, Research Programme Assistant: corinne@henry-moore.org or book a place at this event online.