Art--Take, Break, and Fake It

4 credits · Undergraduate

This course is open to students with majors/interests in history, art history, law, anthropology, film studies, art practice, business, the sciences, and beyond. There is no prerequisite. It introduces the study of art not simply in terms of artists, periods, content, and style, but in relation to acts of looting/theft, iconoclasm/vandalism, and forgery—behaviors that seem contradictory to the importance of art in human culture. Global in its range, the course addresses important episodes of taking, breaking, and faking from the ancient world to the present. It also introduces related topics such as empire, image destruction and revolution, cultural heritage, international treaties and art law, and the question of authenticity.