Dada at the National Gallery
Dada is an art movement, not a toddler calling his father, and is considered one of the significant avant-garde movements to come out of the World War I period.
The National Gallery in Washington DC is currently showing one of the most comprehensive Dada exhibits ever seen in the United States. It features paintings, sculpture, film, collage, photography, and an art form called ready-mades. The exhibit displays art from the six cities known for Dada (Paris, New York, Cologne, Hannover, Berlin, Zurich), and includes a variety of well-known, and not so well-known, artists including: Hans Arp, Hans Richter, Raoul Hausmann, Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp.
I had only a cursory idea what Dada encompassed, an opinion shared with the friend with whom I visited the exhibit, and I think we were both pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t all the strange and bizarre stuff frequently associated with the name and concept. One of my favorite pieces was Metropolis by George Grosz (seen in museum photo at right).
On the Mezzanine of the East Wing is a production which features automated musical instruments that have been programmed to play a portion of the score from the 1924 film, Le Ballet Mecanique (see photo above). The 10-minute performance occurs weekdays at 1 pm and 4 pm, and on weekends at 1 pm only. On my visit, I missed the performance, and am left wondering what it must sound like.
The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 7th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and the Dada exhibit is on the Mezzanine and Upper Level of the East Wing. The entrance to the East Wing is on 4th Street. The exhibit runs through May 14, 2006, after which it will go to the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Two hours should allow you ample time to view the Dada exhibit in some depth; allow more if you are student of the movement.
Hours are Monday-Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday 11 am to 6 pm. The nearest Metro stops are Judiciary Square (red line), Archives (yellow and green lines) and Smithsonian (blue and orange line). Admission is free.
Photo credits: Jon Rochetti, c. 2006; National Gallery of Art (Metropolis).
Tags: dada, flight+attendants, national-gallery, Smithsonian, washington+dcRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Things to See & Do
3 opinions for Dada at the National Gallery
Fly Away Cafe » Washington DC: Sculpture Gardens
Apr 25, 2006 at 12:53 pm
[…] After you’ve browsed the Dada exhibit, allow yourself an additional hour to hour and a half and enjoy the additional art and architecture of the National Gallery’s East Wing, and then a stroll through the Sculpture Garden. […]
Joy
Apr 26, 2006 at 11:43 am
I actually went to the Dada exhibit in National Gallery of Art. It was a cultural experience to say the least. My favorite piece was the famous Mona Lisa with a moustache :)
Mary Jo
Apr 26, 2006 at 12:06 pm
I think that the Mona Lisa with moustache is one of the pieces that people think of when they think of the Dada movement. Maybe also the urinals.
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: