This paper will discuss the influence that Marcel Duchamp had on the Dadaist movement in art. Dada originated in Paris and Zurich during the First World War. The despair of that war caused many Europeans to perceive a breakdown in the society of their time. This in turn led to the creation of Dada, a style of art which was paradoxically opposed to art. By seeking the destruction of art as they knew it, the European Dadaists made a statement about their world, which was apparently crumbling down around them. At approximately the same time in history, the concept of Dada was also being introduced in the United States by way of New York City. Although they were not directly involved in the war, the New York Dadaists still rejected the traditional values of the art world. This rejection was accompanied by a sense of humor, and their art often utilized elements of nonsense in order to make a statement about the absurd conditions of modern life while simultaneously making a protest against art itself. Thus, "Dada filled its statements with incoherence, on the grounds that life itself is incoherent, and played havoc with art because art lovers had lost the idea of art as a game" (ALexandrian 31).
Although he was born in France, Marcel Duchamp was an important leader of the New York Dada movement. Born in 1887, Duchamp began painting at an early age. His earliest artistic influence was that of Cubism, as seen in the work of Picasso. This influence is clearly evident in Duchamp's first important work, the painting entitled Nude Descending a Staircase (1912). This painting also shows the influence of Futurism, because it breaks the nude's movement down into a series of fragmentary parts. Nude Descending a Staircase made Duchamp famous in America when it was shown in 1913 at the Armory Show in New York City. On the basis of his success there, Duchamp moved to New York in 1915. By that time, he had gone beyond his interest in Cu...