Sophie Taeuber born 1889 Davos, Switzerland died 1943 Zurich, Switzerland Sophie Henriette Gertrud Taeuber was

born to a Ger an !ather and Swiss other and later beca e one o! the onl" Swiss participants in Zurich Dada activities# $e%innin% in 19&', she studied decorative paintin%, drawin%, and desi%n at the School o! (pplied (rts o! Saint Gall# She went to )unich in the !all o! 191&, where she studied in the te*tile wor+shop o! an e*peri ental studio directed b" ,ilhel von Debschitz# (!ter a "ear at the School o! (pplied (rts in Ha bur%, she returned a%ain to Debschitz- studio until she oved to Zurich, where her sister had an apart ent# .n the !all o! 191/ Taeuber et Hans (rp, an (lsatian artist and poet who would later beco e her husband# She and (rp e bar+ed on an e*peri ent with abstract !or s# Taeuber-s previous wor+ with abstract %eo etric co positions in her desi%ns !or te*tiles !or ed the !oundation o! their collaborative duo0colla%es, which were co posed o! cut paper arran%ed in strict horizontal and vertical patterns# Taeuber also produced weavin%s !ro her own and (rp-s desi%ns and was in this respect one o! the !irst artists in Zurich Dada to de onstrate the contribution o! the applied arts to the develop ent o! abstract art# Throu%hout her "ears o! involve ent with Dada, Taeuber was also a pro!essor o! te*tile desi%n and techni1ues at the School o! (pplied (rts in Zurich# Since 191' Taeuber had been stud"in% dance with 2udol! von 3aban, a Swiss odern dancer and choreo%rapher who advocated a radical !or o! e*pressive ove ent# .n (pril o! that "ear, Taeuber and )ar" ,i% an, a student o! 3aban-s who would %o on to beco e a pro inent odern dancer, be%an per!or in% at the 4abaret 5oltaire dressed in costu es desi%ned b" other e bers o! the Dada circle# $ecause the Zurich School o! (pplied (rts disapproved o! their pro!essors ta+in% part in Dada activities, she danced under a pseudon" # .n 1918 Taeuber received a co ission to desi%n the sta%e sets and arionettes !or a production o! 4arlo Gozzi-s pla" Il re cervo 678ni% Hirsch97in% Sta%:, adapted b" ,erner ,ol!! and 2en; )ora*# .t was the !irst per!or ance o! its +ind to inte%rate Dada and ps"choanal"sis# The ani atin% con!lict o! the pla" was the 1913 controvers" between Si% und <reud and 4arl =un% over the character o! the libido# Taeuber co ented ironicall" on this anta%onis b" creatin% arionettes whose inherent !reedo !ro the constraints o! hu an anato " and otion allowed the to ani!est interior, or ps"chic, states in their ph"sical !or s# $etween 19>& and 19>' Taeuber traveled e*tensivel", ta+in% vacations with Hans (rp that were o!ten spent in the co pan" o! other dadaists li+e )a* ?rnst, @aul ?luard, and Tristan Tzara, or 7urt Schwitters and Hannah H8ch# (!ter settlin% in Strasbour%, Taeuber received a co ission to decorate an entertain ent co ple* in the center o! town called the (ubette# She, (rp, and Theo van Doesbur% shared the proAect# (rp and Taeuber oved to @aris in 19>8, where the" lived until 194&, when ,orld ,ar .. !orced the to !lee to southern <rance# Tra%icall", Taeuber died o! accidental %as poisonin% in 1943 while she and (rp were in Zurich atte ptin% to obtain passa%e to the Bnited States#