Contemporary Art: From Postmodernism to Globalization

In this course we will survey major developments in international art practice since 1960. We will discuss artists and movements from North and South America, Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, and the Middle East. We will explore debates in traditional media, as well as the emergence of new conceptual paradigms, video and film, land art, installation and institutional critique, and strategies of appropriation. In addition to a focus on formal concerns, students will also discuss broader debates active in various spheres of postwar art and culture. Readings will include artist statements, critical and historical texts, as well as important theoretical material.