Contagion, Hygiene, and the European Avant-Garde

This edited volume explores the intersections between the European avant-garde (c. 1880–1945) and themes of health and hygiene, examining how artists have mobilized and exploited these issues to fuel critical strategies. It promotes an interdisciplinary and socio-historically contextualized understanding of the avant-garde gesture and encourages scholarship that crosses traditional academic boundaries.

Format: Hardback
Length: 204 pages
Publication date: 31 July 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This captivating interdisciplinary collection of essays unites scholars from diverse fields, including art history, theatre, visual culture, and literature, to delve into the intricate intersections between the European avant-garde (circa 1880–1945) and themes of health and hygiene. Through a comprehensive examination of artistic oeuvres by renowned figures such as Edgar Degas, Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, George Orwell, Marcel Duchamp, and Antonin Artaud, the book explores how the heightened political, social, and cultural currencies embedded within issues of hygiene and contagion have been mobilized and subversively exploited to fuel critical strategies. This edited volume fosters an interdisciplinary and socio-historically contextualized understanding of the criticality of the avant-garde gesture, encouraging scholarship that transcends traditional academic boundaries to forge innovative and thought-provoking connections and interrelations across various fields.

The book appeals to scholars engaged in art history, literature, theatre, cultural studies, modern history, medical humanities, and visual culture, offering valuable insights into the complex interplay between art, health, and society during this transformative period.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032284996