Modern Art in the Arab World

3 Credits.

This class provides an introduction to the art of Arabic-speaking societies in the Middle East and North Africa over the course of the twentieth century. This era saw a dramatic series of sociopolitical shifts unfold throughout the region: colonial governments collapsed or changed hands, new regimes rose and fell, populations scattered in the wake of war and occupation or rebuilt their countries in the spirit of independence. Alongside these developments, art practices and exhibition cultures assumed new roles as well as new forms, playing an integral part in decolonial nation-building and networks of transnational solidarity. This course will explore stylistic and thematic developments that arose during this tumultuous period, focusing most closely on the visual cultures of Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq and Morocco.