Grotesque Visions

Grotesque Visions: The Science of Berlin Dada is a much-needed contribution to the history and theory of the grotesque. Calling attention to historically specific ideas about the human body in early twentieth-century Germany, Thomas O. Haakenson not only describes the genesis of the grotesque at this particular time and place, he demonstrates its critical potential to intervene in the era’s often misguided scientific activities. As science and anthropology increasingly implemented visual images to validate research and serve as legitimate evidence, the Dada grotesque—as Haakenson convincingly argues—pointedly questioned the importance of vision as constitutive of knowledge. * Maria Makela, Professor Emerita of Visual Studies, California College of the Arts, USA *
Thomas Haakenson brings a rich blend of philosophy, literature, and the visual arts to bear on the ‘grotesque,’ an elusive but essential concept for understanding Berlin Dada art. This probing study engages often-overlooked philosophical critiques of empirical concepts of vision in the sciences to establish unexpected links between the Dada group and the advocacy of methods of ‘learning to see.’ In this context, Haakenson highlights the role of the imagination in the public scientific displays of specimens and photographs curated by anthropologist Rudolf Virchow and sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld. Weaving together ideas on perception and aesthetics ranging from Kant and Goethe through Benjamin to Crary and Adorno, Haakenson shows how the Dadaists’ contributions remain timely for contemporary aesthetic theory. * Timothy O. Benson, Curator, Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies, Los Angeles County Museum of Art *