398. Experimental Courses
Museum Controversies
What do a bust of Nefertiti, an exhibition of plasticized human bodies, and former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms have in common? They are all related, in one way or another, to controversies in the museum world. This seminar course will explore a number of case studies of museum controversies, ranging from the repatriation of objects (or lack thereof) to the Body Worlds phenomenon, from censorship to forgeries, and from "failed" exhibitions, such as Into the Heart of Africa, to avant-garde museum architecture. We will consider why such controversies arise, how they develop over time, and what we can learn from them, particularly with regard to the roles played by museums historically and in contemporary societies.
Picturing New York
In this seminar, we will explore artists' attempts to capture the essence of New York City, from its origins in the 17th century to the 9/11 period and beyond. Considering architecture, prints, photography, painting, sculpture and film, we will examine the conditions under which New York gave rise to a uniquely American form of urban imagery, attempting to understand the roles that geography, politics, capitalism, race and gender have played in New York's development. In addition, we will investigate how these images and designs broke from traditional practices/forms, seeking to understand what "Modernism" means in its New York context.
Matisse and Methods
This seminar will focus on Henri Matisse, using his work as a lens to explore the various methods of art history. The vast literature on Matisse provides us with a range of writers asking different questions of the artist's work. After a select review, we will focus on one question in particular, that of source and influence. How have scholars and curators interpreted Matisse's studio sources, his interactions with other artists (Cézanne, Gauguin, Picasso) and his appropriations from other cultural traditions (African, Persian, Pacific)? Through our own close study of Matisse's painting and sculpture, we will consider whether these methods successfully address the complex relationships between the artist's work and the ideas that inform them.