The 20th century was a time of social and political changes that brought about varied responses in the art world. The social changes manifested during World War I and its aftermath were felt in the cutting-edge art movements that questioned the existing world order. From the broken planes of Cubism to the jazzy images of the Harlem Renaissance, artists found their voices through varying degrees of despair in an attempt to capture the awakening spirit of the 20th century. In the aftermath of World War II, artists rallied to make sense of the changes brought about through post-war shifts in society to a new prosperity in consumerism.

From the confusing images of the Abstract Expressionists to the playfulness of Pop Art, we will explore how artists challenged and knocked down the walls of not only traditional art but the heretofore avant-garde art forms of the earlier 20th century.

(Current OLLI Members Only)