Scope and Contents In the words of David A. Ross, director of the Whitney Museum, "This exhibition proposes that as important as Dada was to the growth of American modernism, the ferment of New York played an equally critical role in the continuing evolution of Dada itself." He points out that even though Dada evolved in Zurich and Berlin, few immigrant notions were more quickly or deeply absorbed into American culture, because "American art, like America itself in the beginning of the century, was experiencing an analogous social, intellectual, and moral transformation, and the spirit and purpose of Dada provided a much needed catalyst." The Dada activity in New York centered around the Arensbergs, Duchamp, Picabia and Man Ray. When asked to define Dada, Man Ray echoed the words of Tristan Tzara and said that Dada was a state of mind. Unlike the artists in Europe, the Dadists in New York were driven by a conscious sense of irony, amusement, and genuine sense of humor. Selected chapters of this...