The period 1851 to 1929 witnessed the rise of the major European avant-garde groups the Realists Impressionists Post-Impressionists Symbolists Cubists & Surrealists It was also a time of rapid social economic & political change encompassing a revolution in communication systems & technology & an unprecedented growth in the availability of printed images Richard Brettell's innovative account explores the aims & achievements
- the beautiful & the bizarre
- of artists such as Monet Gauguin Picasso & Dali in relation to urban capitalism & expansion colonialism nationalism & internationalism & the museum Tracing common themes of representation imagination perception & sexuality across works in a wide range of different media he presents a fresh approach to the fine art & photography of this remarkable era