No. 19The 1900s
DadaSophie Taeuber-Arp
1889 – 1943 · Switzerland
Dancer, designer, Dadaist — she refused to pick one.
All artistsDada
DadaDada Head, 1920. Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Photo: Hiart. CC0 · Source: Wikimedia Commons
Sculpture · Textile · Design · Dance
Sophie Taeuber-Arp
1889 – 1943 · Switzerland
A key figure of Zurich Dada, she moved freely between painting, textiles, puppets, furniture, architecture and dance, and taught textile design for years to fund her art.
Know more on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Fact file
- Born
- 1889
- Died
- 1943
- Country
- Switzerland
- Era
- The 1900s
- Style
- Dada
- Disciplines
- Sculpture, Textile, Design, Dance
- Key work
- Dada Head (1920)
- Medium
- Painted wood with glass beads on wire
Curiosity!
DocumentedHer turned-wood 'Dada Heads' look like hat stands — and some are portraits.
What we know (and what we don’t)
- Documented
She appeared on the Swiss 50-franc banknote from 1995 to 2016.
- Documented
She danced at Dada events in Zurich wearing a mask to hide her identity.
Where to see her
On view right now
No temporary show we know of right now. Try the live search below.
Museums that own her work
- Arp Museum Bahnhof RolandseckRemagen, Germany(opens in a new tab)
- Kunstmuseum BaselBasel, Switzerland(opens in a new tab)
Owning isn’t always showing: works rotate, go into storage or travel on loan — check before you go.
Hunting for a show we missed?
Exhibition list last checked 25 Oct 2026.