Dada Messe Berlin 1920: The First International Dada Fair
The First International Dada Fair (Erste Internationale Dada-Messe) ran in Berlin from June 30 to August 25, 1920, at Dr. Otto Burchard's gallery. Organized by George Grosz, John Heartfield and Raoul Hausmann with Berlin Dada, it attacked military and bourgeois culture and ended in a trial over the Prussian Archangel.
What Was the Dada Messe Berlin 1920?
The First International Dada Fair 1920 was a two-month Berlin exhibition held at the Kunstsalon Dr. Otto Burchard from June 30 to August 25, 1920. Its printed catalog, titled Erste Internationale Dada-Messe, lists the dates, the venue and the participating artists. The name Erste Internationale Dada-Messe appears in the catalog and in later exhibition histories as the show's original title. The Dadaists treated the show as anti-art: work made to question what art could be and who could make it. The fair came out of the Berlin Dada circle that had gathered around the Club Dada. The International Dada Archive holds a digitized copy of the catalog. For context on the movement behind the fair, see the Dada Companion introduction.
Timeline: Berlin Dada and the 1920 Fair
- 1918: Berlin Dada emerged within the Club Dada circle, with George Grosz, John Heartfield and Raoul Hausmann as central figures.
- 1919: The group used photomontage, a technique of cutting and recombining press images, to turn mass media into political criticism.
- June 30, 1920: The First International Dada Fair opened at Dr. Otto Burchard's gallery; the printed catalog recorded the event.
- August 25, 1920: The fair closed.
- Late August 1920: After the fair closed, the Prussian Archangel led to legal action.
Artists in the 1920 Dada-Messe
The printed catalog, titled Erste Internationale Dada-Messe, names these artists among the participants. The list includes the Berlin Dada core and artists associated with the movement in other cities.
| Artist | Role in the 1920 catalog |
|---|---|
| George Grosz | Organizer and exhibitor |
| John Heartfield | Organizer and exhibitor |
| Raoul Hausmann | Organizer and exhibitor |
| Hannah Höch | Participating artist |
| Otto Dix | Participating artist; showed Kriegskrüppel |
| Rudolf Schlichter | Participating artist |
| Johannes Baader | Participating artist |
| Wieland Herzfelde | Participating artist and co-editor of the catalog |
| Hans Arp | Participating artist |
| Max Ernst | Participating artist |
| Francis Picabia | Participating artist |
Inside the Room: Posters and the Prussian Archangel
Photographs reproduced in the 1920 catalog show the Prussian Archangel suspended from the ceiling. The figure was a dummy of a pig's head wearing a German officer's uniform, hung as the room's centerpiece. Large posters and photomontages covered the walls around it. Photomontage, a technique of cutting and reassembling press images, dominated the wall displays. The room worked less as a gallery of separate pictures than as a single dense display.
The Prussian Archangel Trial
After the fair, the Prussian Archangel led to legal action over insulting the German army. The case gave the Prussian Archangel a longer public life than most works in the fair.
What Happened to the Works After 1920
The physical works shown at the fair were not kept together after 1920. The printed catalog survived as an object: the Berlinische Galerie Online Collection records a facsimile measuring 28.4 × 35.4 cm, with details of its loan. Photographs in the catalog remain the main guide to what hung on the walls. The 1920 catalog records that Otto Dix showed Kriegskrüppel at the fair.
Sources
International Dada Archive, University of Iowa. Berlinische Galerie Online Collection. Erste Internationale Dada-Messe: Katalog, Kunsthandlung Dr. Otto Burchard, Berlin, 1920.
FAQ
Where and when was the Dada Messe Berlin 1920 held?
It ran from June 30 to August 25, 1920, at Dr. Otto Burchard's gallery in Berlin.
Who organized the First International Dada Fair?
George Grosz, John Heartfield and Raoul Hausmann, with Wieland Herzfelde and the Club Dada circle.
Why were the artists put on trial?
The Prussian Archangel, a pig's head in a military uniform, was read as an insult to the German army.
What happened to Otto Dix's Kriegskrüppel?
The 1920 catalog records that Otto Dix showed Kriegskrüppel at the fair. Later provenance is not covered here.