Carl Einstein: Dadafrican Relativist

- Posted: 23.Oct.2007.




Dada anarchist zinemaker Carl Einstein (1885-1940) is another fascinating point of connection between the various strands of primitivism Crystalpunk is trying to render visible: Einstein would end up as editor of the magazine 'Documents: Doctrines, Archéologie, Beaux-arts,' together with Bataille and Michel Leiris (Who I am still digging for). He ended up commiting suicide in a Franco prison, like Walter Benjamin. Next to a book of African legends he wrote two small treatises with profuse illustrations about African art: 'Afrikanische Plastik' in 1921 and 'Negerplastik' in 1920. Both are available online. As far as I can tell the texts in these two books are not that stunning but his love for the stuff is obvious.