DHUM 27A65 - Art Across the Atlantic: Moder & Contemporary Art in Europe and the USA

Course Description

This course explores the dynamic transatlantic exchanges that shaped modern and contemporary art from the late nineteenth century to today. It examines how artistic practices, critical discourses, and cultural institutions circulated across the Atlantic, shaping new notions of modernity, image culture, and political power. Beginning with Paris as a center of modern art and moving through the postwar rise of New York, we trace how artists responded to industrialization, war, media, globalization, and new systems of representation.

Students will study key movements including the European avant-gardes, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Conceptual Art, feminist practices, photography, institutional critique, archival art, and global biennials. The course introduces core art historical concepts and develops students’ visual and formal analysis skills. Students will be encouraged to develop their own critical judgement and build a framework of historical references for evaluating modern and contemporary art. Through close looking and critical reading, the course explores how art shapes and reflects memory, gender, technology, material culture, and broader social and political realities.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify major movements and artists in modern and contemporary art across Europe and the U.S.
• Recognize key stylistic characteristics and formal innovations of these periods. - Analyze artworks in relation to political, institutional, and social contexts. - Apply visual and formal analysis skills using appropriate art historical vocabulary. - Evaluate how museums and curatorial practices shape the interpretation and value of artworks.

Teaching Method

Interactive, visual, and case-study based. Short lectures combined with close looking and discussion of artworks with connections to both Paris exhibitions and major U.S. museum contexts. Theory is introduced through concrete case studies to support critical analysis and understanding. The course also draws on the instructor’s long experience as a museum guide to cultivate visual literacy and observational skills.