Dada et l’existentialisme français

Dada and Existentialism are both often excessively criticised for highlighting the
meaninglessness of the world, and Dada is frequently dismissed as having no theoretical impetus. This article seeks to address this imbalance by forewarding their analytical use as a pair, providing an inroad into the possibility of a substantive theorietical link between Dada and French Existentialism, through an ethical, aesthetic and philosophical investigation of texts, artworks and events from both movements. The article examines the themes of choice, alienation, responsibility, freedom and truth to posit that Dada and French Existentialism both advocate a striving towards personal authenticity and that this is achieved precisely through ambiguity. The following is a presentation of the principal findings of my doctoral thesis, entitled The Authenticity of Ambiguity: Dada
and Existentialism.