This course examines the diverse trends in the visual art of Europe and the Americas from 1880 through 1960. Lectures, presentations, and in-class discussion of the rapid stylistic shifts in the visual arts during this period will seek to define “the modern” alongside similar developments in philosophy, society, and politics. The growth of art criticism and theory will also be examined alongside significant factors that changed how the art of this period was made and received including two world wars and the economic reorganization of Europe and North and South America.