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An anarchic movement which flourished c.1915–c.1922 and ridiculed traditional notions of form and beauty. Originally European, though it also took root in America, it was partly born out of the disillusionment engendered by the First World War. The name was apparently chosen at random by inserting a penknife in the pages of a dictionary (‘dada’ is French for ‘hobby-horse’).

Text source: The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Art Terms (2nd Edition) by Michael Clarke

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