Featuring a selection of 140 works, including paintings, sculptures, graphic art, photography, and film, this book traces the artistic investigations of ever-changing gender roles from the mid-19th century to the end of World War II. Traditional gender norms codifying males and females as active vs. passive and rational vs. emotional were heavily debated in modern art. While many artists adhered to stereotypes, others sought to subvert them. Drawing from the considerable holdings of the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, Germany, and including works from artists such as Édouard Manet, Auguste Rodin, Gustav Klimt, Man Ray, Otto Dix, Claude Cahun, Meret Oppenheim, and Frida Kahlo, this sweeping examination explores the artistic representations of sexuality and gender. Scholarly essays cover such topics as Adam and Eve, the Femme Fatale in 19th century art, or sexual murder in the works of the Weimar Republic, while others provide perceptive analyses of the battle of the sexes in the oeuvres of Franz von Stuck, Edvard Munch, Lee Miller, and Jeanne Mammen. Dazzling reproductions and brief texts on the works, an extensive bibliography and chronology offer contextual background. This comprehensive book offers insights into the complexity of gender issues and sheds light on the art-historical dimension of an eminently relevant subject.
