Artistic Rebellion in London and Paris

This course offers you an introduction to the history of modernist and avant-garde art in Paris, and its impact upon cultural production in London. The course investigates how artists in both places responded to the political, social and technological transformations that took place in European societies between 1870 and 1980. You’ll look at the differences between life in Paris and in London during this period, and the effects that these had upon artistic production. You’ll also explore topics ranging from the influence of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting on the Bloomsbury Group’s demands for sexual and social freedoms, to the influence of Dada and Surrealism on David Bowie, and Situationist ‘culture jamming’ on punk rock. We hope you will think about the construction of official ideas of culture and the varying means by which artists have generated their own aesthetics of resistance. Making use of the incredible resources provided by London itself, the course will include field trips to galleries and museums and tours of historic locations. *Course content is subject to change.