Defeating the Ideal
Art & Propaganda, from the Third Reich to the CIA \ Fall 2012
Defeating the Ideal will study how art is used as a propaganda tool during times of war. The class will explore how governments have encouraged or suppressed artistic expression for political means, and how artists have directly influenced the course of history. The class will begin by highlighting important pieces of art propaganda in Western history, such as Trajan's Column and the Bayeux Tapestry, as well as the influence of art during the American and French Revolutions. Most of the course will focus on art and propaganda in the twentieth century. Topics of discussion will include:
- the art manifestos of the Futurists, Dadaists, and Surrealists,
- Picasso's Guernica at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris,
- the art of Nazi Germany, including Hitler's "Degenerate Art" show and auction,
- wartime propaganda posters,
- Soviet Socialist Realism,
- and the secret funding of American artists by the CIA during the Cold War.
Art at Risk: The Illegal Antiquities Trade \ Fall 2010
This course will study the destruction of archaeological sites caused by tomb robbers and artifact smugglers in their efforts to supply dealers in the multi-million-dollar antiquities industry. Many prestigious museums—such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Getty, the Louvre, and the British Museum—claim to be in the business of protecting and preserving historically important objects, but have in recent years been caught purchasing black-market artifacts. This course will focus on the growing problem of artifact smuggling, namely:
- the damage it causes to archaeological sites,
- the role Western museums have played in encouraging looting by paying record-high prices for these objects,
- the laws countries of the ancient world have enacted to stop the looting,
- how it highlights the inequity of the art market—tomb robbers struggling to survive in impoverished countries sell these ancient objects to dealers, who in turn make millions auctioning the artifacts to museums and collectors in the West.
\ Art At Risk Study Guide (Interactive PDF)
\ Course Materials Packet