Merz 8--The Cathedral
Print
1920 (printed and published)
1920 (printed and published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The German-born artist Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948) was influenced by Dada, a cultural movement that started life in Zurich during the First World War of 1914-1918 and developed principally in France and Germany. Dada was deliberately nonsensical and anti-art, largely reflecting the disillusionment felt by many at the insanity of the war itself. However, this particular work was produced at a moment at which Schwitters was out of favour with his fellow Dadaists. The sticker, which he had specially made for the front cover, reads Vorsichte: Anti-Dada (Warning: Anti-Dada). The Title 'Merz 8' derives from the word Kommerz (Commerce). Schwitters first used it in a painting in 1919, having 'cut and pasted' - the collage principle common to the Dadaist movement. He subsequently applied it as a collective noun to all his work, which included painting, poetry and three-dimensional assemblages.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts. |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Lithograph, on 16 pages of paper stapled into thin card covers |
| Brief description | 'Merz 8 - Die Kathedrale' by Kurt Schwitters. Plate 1 to volume. Lithograph on paper. Germany, 1920. |
| Physical description | sixteen pages stapled into thin card covers with 8 plates including back cover and broken paper seal pasted to front and back covers. Printed in letterpress and lithography. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Limited edition |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Production | Published as Volume 41/42 of the periodical Die Silbergaule [The Silver Nag]. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Literary references |
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| Summary | The German-born artist Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948) was influenced by Dada, a cultural movement that started life in Zurich during the First World War of 1914-1918 and developed principally in France and Germany. Dada was deliberately nonsensical and anti-art, largely reflecting the disillusionment felt by many at the insanity of the war itself. However, this particular work was produced at a moment at which Schwitters was out of favour with his fellow Dadaists. The sticker, which he had specially made for the front cover, reads Vorsichte: Anti-Dada (Warning: Anti-Dada). The Title 'Merz 8' derives from the word Kommerz (Commerce). Schwitters first used it in a painting in 1919, having 'cut and pasted' - the collage principle common to the Dadaist movement. He subsequently applied it as a collective noun to all his work, which included painting, poetry and three-dimensional assemblages. |
| Bibliographic reference | Timmers, Margaret (ed), Impressions of the Twentieth Century: Fine Art Prints from the V&A's Collection, London, V&A Publications, 2001
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.191&:1 to 8-1986 |
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| Record created | December 9, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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