Erasures and Eradications in Modern Viennese Art, Architecture and Design

Book excerpt: Erasures and Eradications in Viennese Modern Art, Architecture and Design challenges the received narrative on the artists, exhibitions and cultural-political meanings of Viennese Modernism. The book centers on three main erasures--the erasure of Jewish artists and critics; erasures relating to gender and sexual identification; as well as erasures of race and other marginalized movements. The book's thought-provoking chapters expand the chronological contours and canonical artists surrounding Viennese Modernism to offer original, nuanced and rich readings of individual works, while offering a more diverse portrait of the period from 1890, through the second World War and into the present. Restoring missing elements to the story of the visual arts in early twentieth century Vienna, authors investigate issues of gender, race, sexual identity and political affiliation. Both well studied artists and organizations--such as the Secession and the Austrian Werkbund--are explored, as are lesser-known figures and movements. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, history, design history, architectural history and European studies.