Provenance
Paul Eluard, Paris. Edouard Loeb, Paris. Barry Miller, London [email from Maurice Fulton, May 11, 2000 in curatorial file]; Sold to B.C. Holland Gallery, Chicago [email mentioned above]; Sold to Maurice Fulton, Glencoe, Illinois [email mentioned above]; gift to Art Institute, 1994.
Accession Number
136121
Medium
Gouache and ink on printed paper
Dimensions
30.3 × 40 cm (11 7/16 × 15 3/4 in.)
Classification
gouache
Credit Line
Gift of Maurice and Muriel F. Fulton
Background & Context
Background Story
Max Ernst's Dada Gauguin (1920) is a gouache and ink drawing on printed paper from the Dada period. The title references the Post-Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin, but Ernst's treatment is thoroughly Dadaist, combining irreverent humor with formal experimentation. The gouache and ink technique on printed paper incorporates found material into the work.
Cultural Impact
Ernst's Dada works represent the most radical phase of his career, breaking with all artistic conventions.
Why It Matters
This Dada work references Gauguin while breaking with artistic tradition through irreverent humor and the incorporation of printed paper.
