Art in Germany From the Middle Ages to the 20th Century

The course will introduce Berlin’s outstanding art collections, with their wide range of masterpieces from late medieval times to the present day. Beyond that, a trip to the nearby city of Magdeburg with its impressive gothic cathedral is intended. We shall focus throughout on the particular circumstances that shaped the production and reception of German art, especially during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. During this long period, the formation of a German nation state and the problematic notion of a German national identity became intimately connected to the question of a German style and artistic ‘expression’.

A special focus will be given to the "Art of the two Germanys" between 1945 and 1989. We shall explore Germany’s vibrant art history by focusing in depth on works by artists like Martin Schongauer and Albrecht Dürer, Caspar David Friedrich, Karl Friedrich Schinkel and Adolph Menzel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Dix, Joseph Beuys and Anselm Kiefer. Visits include the following museums and galleries in Berlin: the Gemäldegalerie, the Bodemuseum, the Kupferstichkabinett (Collection of Drawings and Prints, depending on size of the course), the Nationalgalerie, and the Hamburger Bahnhof Museum.

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