Wednesdays, March 10 – March 31, 2 – 4pm
Amedeo Modigliani. Girl with a Polka-Dot Blouse (detail), 1919. The Barnes Foundation, BF180
$220; members $198
(4 classes)
About the Class
From the late 19th century through the interwar years, Paris was both a center of extraordinary artistic creativity and a site of profound political and social tension. In this four-session online course, we’ll explore the contributions of Jewish artists, musicians, writers, and cultural figures who helped shape this pivotal period in French culture.
We’ll start the course with the Dreyfus Affair, the wrongful conviction of Jewish military officer Alfred Dreyfus. The event and the surrounding antisemitism divided French society and its artistic community. We’ll examine how figures such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Gabriel Fauré, and Maurice Ravel responded to the scandal.
Students will also learn about two influential Jewish women central to Parisian cultural life. Geneviève Halévy Straus hosted a salon that brought together figures such as Degas and Marcel Proust. Ida Rubinstein, a dancer and arts patron, commissioned work from composers including Ravel and Claude Debussy.
Finally, we’ll turn to Jewish artists associated with Montparnasse in the early 20th century, including Chaïm Soutine, Amedeo Modigliani, Jules Pascin, Marc Chagall, and other artists represented in the Barnes collection.
The class is online-only. More about online classes.
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- Sharpen your observational and critical thinking skills.
- Improve your ability to communicate about art.
- Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.
Amedeo Modigliani. Girl with a Polka-Dot Blouse, 1919. The Barnes Foundation, BF180
Instructor
Mimi Stillman
An acclaimed flutist, Stillman is an internationally recognized solo, chamber, and recording artist who the New York Times has called “not only a consummate and charismatic performer, but also a scholar. Her programs tend to activate ear, heart, and brain.” She is the founding artistic director of the Dolce Suono Ensemble. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music with a MA in history from the University of Pennsylvania, she also writes about music and history, with a focus on late 19th- and early 20th-century French culture.
What Our Students Say
“The instructor was not only knowledgeable but so accessible, and such an inviting presence. She provided great reading to supplement the course.” —Mary Cassatt: Art, Identity, and Independence with Larissa Bailiff
“Pierre brings the art alive with her inside stories and images and how she interacts with the students. She is always able to answer and follow up with more information at the next class.” —Exhibiting Modernism: From the Salon to the Avant-Garde with Caterina Pierre
“Alison Boyd was engaging and effective during the online instruction, and she offered well-selected background materials for further reading.” —Aaron Douglas from Harlem to Philly with Alison Boyd
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