Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Mama of Dada
"Anyone Who Comes Here Must Bring Chocolate." -Beatrice Wood
Beatrice Wood March 3, 1893 - March 12, 1998 was an American artist and ceramist, known as the "Mama of Dada". Beatrice Wood was born in San Francisco, CA, the daughter of wealthy socialites.
Despite her environment and her parents' strong opposition, she was a rebel who insisted on pursuing a career in the arts. As one of the principal members of the renegade Dada movement, she helped introduce America to the unique art from the community at Montparnasse in France.
Joining with Marcel Duchamp and Henri Pierre Roche, in the 1910s they founded "Blind Man," a magazine that was one of the earliest manifestations of the Dada art movement in New York City. Henri Pierre Roche's famous book "Jules and Jim" is based on the relationship between Duchamp, Beatrice, and himself.
With the celebrated Duchamp, she was introduced to the influential art collectors Walter and Louise Arensberg who held regular gatherings in which artists, writers, and poets were invited for intellectual discussion. Beatrice Wood's relationship with them and others associated with the avant-garde movement of the early 20th century, earned her the designation "Mama of Dada."
She had been a member of the Theosophical Socity-Adyar since 1923. In 1948 she moved to Ojai, CA to be near the Indian sage J. Krishnamurti. A film, Beatrice Wood: Mama of Dada, was made on the occasion of the artist's 100th birthday. Ever the comedienne, when asked the secret to her incredible longevity, she would respond
"I owe it all to chocolate and young men."
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