Twentieth-Century Art: The Avant-Gardes (AHIS20020)

This subject examines avant-garde art of the 20th century. A variety of artistic theories, movements and artists will be considered, mainly from Europe and North America but also encompassing parts of East Asia and South America. The social, historical and theoretical context in which diverse avantgarde movements were formed will be studied using historical sources, including avant-garde manifestos, and contemporary theory. Students will become familiar with issues such as the nexus of art and politics, utopian models of art, the relationship between pre-WW1 historic avant-gardes and post-WW2 neo-avant-gardes, as well as the shifting ways in which theories of gender, race and sexuality informed artists' work.

The subject features object-based learning and assessment using works from the University of Melbourne’s Special Collections.