In the social and political revolution that followed the defeat of Germany in World War I, radical ideas about art emerged that shaped German painting for the next two decades. Richard West traces the evolution of these ideas and their long-term influence throughout the twentieth century. The political and cultural transformation of German society was mirrored in the activities of the Dadaists, the teachings of the Bauhaus, and the works of such painters as Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, and George Grosz. These developments were brought to a halt by Hitler, whose policies of control of the visual arts led to a diaspora of many German artists and the destruction or dispersal of their work.

Lyonel Feininger (1871–1956). Regler Church, Erfurt (detail), 1930. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

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EDUCATORS: Continuing-education clock hours are available for the full Chaos and Order series ($15 for six SPU clock hours). Payments for clock hour fees are paid directly to SPU at the first lecture. Do not include payment for clock hours with your registration.

REGISTRATION is required for all classes and is due two weeks before the starting date of the class. Complete the registration form and send payment to ensure registration. Registrations are processed in the order they are received. Space is limited.

FULL SERIES PASSES are sold for each art history series and are nonrefundable. Series passes are not interchangeable.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS may be available for purchase on a space-available basis on the day of each lecture. Tickets are released first-come, first-served. Individual tickets for each lecture and are $10 members/seniors/students/teachers/artists; $15 nonmembers.

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CANCELLATION: The Frye Art Museum reserves the right to cancel any lecture series or studio class. If the Museum cancels a series or class a full refund will be issued. If a participant cancels enrollment more than two weeks prior to the class start date, the participant will receive a full refund, minus a $25 processing fee. No refunds are issued with less than two weeks’ notice. To cancel a registration, participants must call (206) 432-8200 between 9 am and 5 pm Monday–Friday.

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About the Instructor

Richard V. West

Richard V. West, Director Emeritus of the Frye Art Museum, is an art historian with a wide range of interests encompassing the fine arts and popular culture. He received an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley with additional studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. He has organized or curated many major exhibitions, including Munich and American Realism in the Nineteenth Century (1978) and Standing in the Tempest: The Painters of the Hungarian Avant-Garde, 1908-1930 (1991). Recipient of both Smithsonian and Ford Foundation fellowships, West is the former director of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Crocker Art Museum in California.