Jean Crotti was born in Bulle, Switzerland, in 1878, and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, in 1958.
Crotti first studied in Munich's Applied Arts School, before becoming apprentice with a theatre decorator. In 1901, Crotti entered at the Julian Academy in Paris.
Jean Crotti was influenced by many art movements, as primitivism, fauvism, modern Art, orphism or cubism, movement that he tried since 1912.
Crotti left France for a time, as to espace the pre-war years dark atmosphere, and moved to New York where he met Francis Picabia and Marcel Duchamp, whith who he shared a studio. Crotti moved back to France in september 1916, where he met Suzanne Duchamp, Marcel's sister.
In 1921, Crotti participated in the Dada exhibition organized bu Tristan Tzara at the Galerie Montaigne.
Calling him "Tabu-Dada", Crotti confirmed his complete rupture with Tzara's movement, wanting to create a new dadaism, marked by mysticism.
In the 1950's, Crotti used the same circle patterns and superimposed trajectories that he employed in the 1920's, creating "cosmic painting".