Erasures and Eradications in Modern Viennese Art, Architecture and Design

Erasures and Eradications in Modern Viennese Art, Architecture and Design challenges the received narrative on the artists, exhibitions, and interpretations of Viennese Modernism.

The book centers on three main erasures--the erasure of Jewish artists and critics; erasures relating to gender and sexual identification; and erasures of other marginalized figures and movements. Restoring missing elements to the story of the visual arts in early twentieth-century Vienna, authors investigate issues of gender, race, ethnic and sexual identity, and political affiliation. Both well-studied artists and organizations--such as the Secession and the Austrian Werkbund, and iconic figures such as Klimt and Hoffmann--are explored, as are lesser known figures and movements. The book’s thought-provoking chapters expand the chronological contours and canon of 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 World War II and into the present.

The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, history, design history, architectural history, and European studies.

Megan Brandow-Faller is Professor of History at City University of New York Kingsborough.

Laura Morowitz is Professor of Art History in the Department of Visual Arts at Wagner College.