From critical manifesto to transformative genderplay: feminist Futurist and Dadaist strategies countering the misogyny within the historical avant-gardes

Abstract

This article touches upon the problematic reception of the female pioneers of the historical avant-gardes - by contemporaries and art historians - more specifically within the movements of Futurism, Dadaism and Surrealism. What artistic strategies did avant-garde women apply to resist the omnipresent misogyny that was not only trivializing female creation but also sexualizing the female ‘other’? How is the gender binary embedded and challenged within their artistic practice?   This article observes firstly, how a critical engagement with the rather masculine format of the manifesto empowered women in dealing with the stereotypical imagery of womanhood at the time. Second, the application of so-called “inferior” media (embroidery, design, dance) and materials (textile, wood, the body) tackled the patriarchal classification of the arts and the subordinate role of women in it. Finally, the live performance of genderplay allowed female artists to articulate the bankruptcy of traditional gender conventions responsible for the problematic reception of many female artists through art history.