AH 322 - Between Conformity and Provocation: German Art from 1933 to the Present

This course presents German art over the course of nearly 80 years. We’ll start off with the struggle for the “right” art during Nazi-time and will explore and analyse the conditions of conformity, persecution and exile and the outcome in this phase of time. The following part will be dedicated to the development of German art since 1945, which was deeply influenced by the need of a complete new beginning, also implementing new forms like action art. We will also investigate the ways in which artists in West Germany came to terms with the legacy of Nazi-art and how the East German state attempted to influence the artists to serve the socialistic state ideals. Finally there will be a revision of recent German art, both paintings and also other genres like object art and media and performance art.