How can art shape, inform, and transform everyday life? What is the artist’s role in forming (and reforming) the material conditions of living? Focusing on Europe in the first half of the twentieth century—but also looking beyond this chronological (up to the 1970s) and geographical frame—we will explore the ways modernist artists moved beyond the traditions of “fine art” to work in a wide range of mediums and scales, from revolutionizing the domestic sphere to urban planning. We will consider this variety of artistic projects through the lens of theories of the avant-garde, modern architecture, and mass media. Special emphasis will be given to the work of women artists and art in the context of socialist politics.

This course fulfills the following requirements for the History of Art major: Geographical area (A) or (C) and Chronological period (III), based on the topic of the final research paper or project.

*This course will not meet for discussion section.