Understanding Modern Art: The Influence of China and Japan on Western Art presented by art historian

In the third installment of a series of lectures on Modern art, art historian Vanessa Badré will discuss the influence of the Far East on the Far West (European modernists). She will explore the cultural and artistic exchanges affected by commercial trade in the 18th and 19th centuries between the east and the west --- and how they are manifested in the modern works of the 20th century.

Educated in both law and art history (graduate degree from La Sorbonne), French scholar Vanessa Badré is a frequent lecturer at the Hirshhorn Museum, Phillips Collection and the French Embassy. Badré’s wide range of academic and professional experience provides a very different perspective, quite different from traditional art history classes. In her own words, "We will not simply explore works of art, but will look at how artists innovate as well as repurpose and re-invent what has come before. We will also look at social, political, and historical context surrounding the works— for example, did you know that the first “selfie” originated in the era of the Sun-King in France?"