In February 1919, Crotti’s mechanomorphic drawing, « damier, » boldly graced the cover page of the eighth issue of Picabia’s revue, 391. At that time, he was undeniably one of the most influential artists in the Paris Dada movement, where he played a vital role.

On January 15, 1921, Jean Crotti and fellow Dada artists made a definitive statement by signing the leaflet “DADA soulève tout” (“DADA raises everything”). This demonstration was a clear rejection of the many movements falsely claiming to be modern, particularly Futurism.