Plate V from Let There Be Fashion, Down With Art (Fiat modes pereat ars)

Plate V from Let There Be Fashion, Down With Art (Fiat modes pereat ars) by Max Ernst is a radical example of post-World War I printmaking, created in 1920. This lithograph is one of eight highly satirical works that comprise the portfolio, which collectively establishes Ernst’s pivotal role in the French and Cologne Dada movements. The medium of lithography was strategically chosen, allowing the artist to produce multiple prints swiftly, which was vital for the Dadaists' commitment to anti-art, mass distribution, and challenging the commercial fine art gallery system.

The series title itself—Fiat modes pereat ars translates to “Let there be fashion, down with art”—reflects the movement’s provocative nature and its critique of the rampant consumerism and perceived moral decay of the era. Ernst employed the stark, graphic quality of the lithograph to create images that often utilized collage techniques, juxtaposing found imagery to produce nonsensical, yet deeply critical, new forms. This portfolio specifically mocks contemporary society and the burgeoning culture of commodity and superficiality, often aimed at the arbiters of taste and high fashion.

Created in the culturally explosive environment of the 1920s, this French print demonstrates Ernst’s early mastery of graphic arts, laying the groundwork for his subsequent development of Surrealism later in the decade. The portfolio is considered a defining moment in the history of modernist graphic works.

The complete edition of Let There Be Fashion, Down With Art (Fiat modes pereat ars) remains a seminal piece of early modernism. This specific work resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, where it helps define the institution’s holdings of early 20th-century prints and works on paper. Though preserved in the collection, the influential concepts developed by artists like Ernst frequently inform contemporary artists, and materials related to such foundational modernist prints often enter the public domain, ensuring their continued relevance and accessibility for study.