A French-language edition of Monika Wagner's comprehensive study, originally in German, of the use and significance of materials in twentieth-century art.

Utilizing exemplary works, Monika Wagner considers traditional materials, as well as materials that have been newly developed or are originally foreign to art, placing them beyond the personal mythologies of individual artists and in the context of their ordinary uses and attributes. This critical reconstruction of their meaning opens up a new avenue for understanding modern art. The materials discussed and studied are at the heart of twentieth-century art, from color in painting to everyday and natural objects, and even the most intangible materials such as air and light. The examples chosen by Wagner reveal what these materials tell us in the conjunction of their uses throughout history and their assignments to society or gender. Numerous illustrations complement and illuminate the analyses of the works studied.
 

Monika Wagner is professor emeritus of art history at the University of Hamburg. Her research focuses on eighteenth to twentieth century painting, the history and theory of perception, the design of public spaces, and, in particular, the semantics of the materiality of art. Françoise Joly has taught Romance languages at the University of Stuttgart. She also works as an editor and proofreader for several institutions and publishing houses and is a recognized translator into French, particularly in the fields of art and cultural history.