Official Course Description
Darmstadt: City of Artistic Production
Munich and Düsseldorf have long been considered to be two of the most important international cities for artistic production east of Paris and north of Rome, enticing artists from around the world to their academies. However, recent scholarship on German artists of the late 19th century have offered a reevaluation: the city of Darmstadt should be added to this short list of noteworthy centers of artistic production.
Why was the city of Darmstadt such an important international center for artistic production in the 19th century and who were the artists that travelled to Darmstadt from abroad? This course will focus on exploring and understanding the elements that helped to shape Darmstadt into a city that attracted artists over other well-known cities such as Munich or Düsseldorf. During the semester, class topics will explore the history of the Darmstadt, investigating how the city was designed in the 19th century and the infostructure that provided a supporting environment for artists to be successful, locating influential patrons and collectors, and discussing the establishment of museums, public collections, and exhibition spaces in this period. We will also consider Darmstadt’s importance around the world through a transatlantic lens, tracing the network of artists that came and went, from Europe and the United States.
Class meetings will meet at museums and public art collections in Darmstadt, at the Landesmuseum, the Mathildenhöhe, the Schloss Museum, and others, with at least one class meeting in the Städel Museum in Frankfurt. Students will have the opportunity to view original art objects and meet with curators and historians.
The course language is English.
Additional Information
The syllabus will be uploaded on Moodle and this will contain information on the location of weekly class meetings.