European artists in the 1960s and 1970s tried to realize the avant-garde project of connecting art and life, at a time when everyday life was full of contradictions and social unrest. Individual artists like Joseph Beuys and movements like Fluxus, Situationism, and Arte Povera used materials ranging from marble and oil paint, to neon, live animals, and their own bodies, to revolutionize the definition of what art could be. This course will examine both the art and the social history of this ground-breaking era.
European artists in the 1960s and 1970s tried to realize the avant-garde project of connecting art and life, at a time when everyday life was full of contradictions and social unrest. Individual artists like Joseph Beuys and movements like Fluxus, Situationism, and Arte Povera used materials ranging from marble and oil paint, to neon, live animals, and their own bodies, to revolutionize the definition of what art could be. This course will examine both the art and the social history of this ground-breaking era.