Art, Literature, and the Avant-Garde in the City of Light

When Baron Haussmann reconstructed Paris into the “City of Light” (1852-1870), he produced an urban space that came to represent the Western world's break with tradition and the emergence of modernity. Modernism, the characteristic style of cutting-edge art and literature in the first half of the 20th century, was born there, which is why avant-garde artists and writers from all over the world would flock to Paris until the beginning of WWII. CHID Paris offers students a unique opportunity to study the emergence of modernity within its original cultural, architectural and historical context. Taken together, the three courses offered by the program trace the interrelationships between Paris and the development of new representational forms such as photography and film, and the impact of modernity on arts such as painting, the novel, poetry and the theater.

Paris contains an unparalleled wealth of modernist and proto-modernist art and an essential part of the program will be visits to museums and sites were we will see the actual paintings, sculptures and artifacts that we will be studying : the Musée du Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée Gustave Moreau, the Musée Rodin, the Musée Marmottan, the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Halle Saint-Pierre, Jean Tinguely’s « Le Cyclop », etc. This will enable us to get a sense of the whole sweep of the development of modern art from Impressionism through the various movements of the 20th century.

Classes take place at the American Church in Paris, in the very heart of Paris. Students stay with English-speaking families in Paris for the entire duration of the program. Breakfast and dinner are provided by host families. Excursions, city walks and research days will be scheduled during the week, leaving ample free time to explore the city and other sites in Europe during weekends.

The program will run October 1 - December 2, 2023 in Paris, France. Remote, on-line class activities will be held through December 10, 2023, to wrap up the program.

For a student's perspective, check out Sierra Ducatt's video from the 2015 program!