The American Century and Attitudes in Form - 1939-1969
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Led by art historian and curator Andrea Mattiello, this new Modern and Contemporary Art Series comprises of four short courses that survey the ideas, aims, materials and techniques of modern art from 1870 to the work being made by artists today. This course can be taken individually or can be completed as a full four part series.
This short course maps the shift of the avant-garde from Europe to the United States when Abstract Expressionism was enthusiastically supported by museums and national institutions. Participants will learn about European post-war art, the developments in twentieth-century sculpture. The second part of the course looks at the achievements of Conceptual Art and Minimalism, while considering major cultural discussions leading to 1969 seminal exhibitions such as ‘When Attitudes Become Form’. Participants will learn how artists began making art requiring more active participation from the viewer and a deeper appreciation of ideas, process, and the engagement with the environment outside the institutionalised gallery space.
Schedule
13 January – Abstract Expressionism
20 January – Post – War European Art
27 January – 20th Century Sculpture
3 February – Minimalism and Conceptual Art
10 February – Arte Povera
17 February – Land Art and Earthworks
This course will be delivered online via Zoom.
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What you will learn:
• The shift from Europe as the centre of the art world to America and the artists and the art produced in the post-war era
• How to express thoughts and opinions about contemporary art within its historical and sociological context
• How to research and write from an art historical perspective about these major artistic periods
Please note that the virtual course session will not be recorded due to intellectual property rights.
Image: Philip Guston (1913–1980), Untitled. Oil on paper mounted on masonite. 25 x 36 1/2 in. (63.5 x 92.7 cm.) Estimate: $300,000–500,000. This work was offered in the Post-War and Contemporary Art Morning Session on 11 May at Christie’s New York
