MARCEL JANCO (1895-1984) 1re EXPOSITION DADA / GALERIE CORRAY. 1917.
16 1/2x10 1/4 inches, 42x26 cm.
Condition B+ / B: loss in upper right corner; minor restored loss in lower right corner; tears at edges and along hoizontal fold; creases and abrasions in image; partial separation along horizontal fold. Paper.
The Dada movement was founded in Zürich in 1916 in the Cabaret Voltaire, and swiftly took hold in other European capitals. This poster, "a rare document from those early years . . . [announces] the inaugural Dada exhibition at the Galerie Coray in Zürich. Although the lettering is uniform, Janco is already taking liberties with word spacing" (Machine Age p. 13). The African art on exhibit had less to do with the Dadaists and more with the gallery's proprietor, Han Coray, who was a pioneer in the field of collecting tribal art. Janco was an influential Romanian artist who was involved in decorating the Cabaret Voltaire working alongside Hugo Ball, Jean Arp and Tristan Tzara. He was a co-creator of Dadaism and went on to be involved with many other prominent art movements, including Constructivism and Functionalism. He emigrated to Palestine during the war and lived out his life there, primarily as an abstract painter. rare. We could only locate two copies at auction since 1991. Avant Garde 1, Mechanical Age p. 13, Berman / Juan March p. 165.