Post-War Art and the Politics of Memory, From the 1960s to the Present

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: to be confirmed
• Assessment: to be confirmed

In this module we consider the ways in which history, memory and politics have been mediated through art and film and the museum from the late 1960s onwards.

Detailed case studies include the work of artists such as:

• Anselm Kiefer
• Joseph Beuys
• Christian Boltanski
• Gerhard Richter
• Paula Rego
• Doris Salcedo
• Rachel Whiteread
• Mona Hatoum
• Yinka Shonibare
• film-maker Victor Erice
• architect Daniel Libeskind.

Although seemingly disparate, these artists share concerns about issues of national and cultural identity in the wake of political upheaval, the after-effects of memory, the role of the artist in remembering a difficult past, and the often-disturbing, yet productive reconstruction of the past in the present. They have all raised critical questions of history's dominant narratives as a way of overcoming its 'silences'.

Through these case studies, and ideas framed by the issue of 'representing the un-representable', we consider the after-effects of the Second World War and the haunting presence of traumatic events that disrupt the present. We examine the art of the monument and the architecture of the 'memory museum', particularly in the context of Holocaust memorialisation.

We will not deal with art movements or groups during this module. Instead, we trace dominant tendencies in postmodernism and contemporary art through the work of individual figures that is intentionally challenging, subversive or critical. Case studies are considered in their social and cultural contexts, and exemplify postmodernism's stress on the importance of 'the idea', rather than on medium specificity.

Emphasis is given to the so-called 'new history painting', installation art, sculpture, film and pastiche. We consider how new spaces of art have been defined within and outside of the museum.

By the end of this module, you will have:

• acquired a detailed knowledge of post-war art (1960s onwards) relating to themes of history, memory and politics
• learned to analyse and critically assess some of the dominant themes in postmodern and contemporary art and museology
• developed the ability to observe, identify and analyse works of visual culture
• developed a critical awareness of the functions of such works within the social and cultural contexts of their production and reception
• become familiar with current debates and approaches to the subject
• developed your ability to analyse and interpret critically historical evidence.
• developed your ability to read critically and analyse the secondary literature.