Dada Was Named by Opening a Dictionary at Random
Dada was an art movement born in 1916. Its name may have been chosen by chance, which suited it perfectly.
Dada was an anti-art movement founded in Zurich in 1916 in reaction to the First World War. One account of the name has the founders opening a French dictionary at random and landing on *dada*, a child's word for a hobby horse. Whether or not that is true, a name chosen by chance was exactly right for a movement built on rejecting sense and system. The most famous Dada work is a signed urinal submitted as sculpture in 1917.
- An anti-art movement. *Dada art.*
- Founded 1916. *In Zurich.*
- A hobby horse (French). *Dada.*
- Dadaist — a follower. *A Dadaist.*
- Chosen at random. *By one account.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Dada | Dada. |
| Adjective | Dadaist | Dadaist. |
| Noun | Dadaism | Dadaism. |
| French | dada | A hobby horse. |
| Founded | 1916 | In Zurich. |
- Dada rejected artistic convention.Art.
- The movement began in 1916.History.
- Dada means hobby horse in French.Etymology.
What Dada rejected
- Reason — which its founders blamed for the war
- Craft — found objects were presented as finished works
- Permanence — performances left nothing behind
- Authorship — poems were assembled from cut-up newspaper at random
- It fed directly into Surrealism and later conceptual art
French *dada*, a child's word for a hobby horse, adopted as the movement's name in 1916.
Where does the name Dada come from?
One account says the founders opened a French dictionary at random and found dada, a child's word for a hobby horse.
What was Dada reacting against?
The First World War and the rationalism its founders held responsible for it, which is why the movement rejected reason and convention.