Visions of the "Neue Frau" : women and the visual arts in Weimar Germany /

Renowned European scholars here contribute essays conveying the numerous roles women undertook during Germany's Weimar period. The essays explore the numerous contributions by women to the visual arts, ranging, e.g., from producers and patrons of art to subjects and objects in visual representations. The writers employ methodologies that include social-historical, psychological, political, feminist, and postmodernist theories and discuss a range of issues, from high to popular art and from fine arts to mass media, covering both familiar material (e.g., German expressionistic film and sculpture--though with fresh analysis) and rarely explored areas (e.g., women as collectors and dealers). Unifying many of the essays is the theme that the Weimar period was a remnant of 19th-century imperialism that helped create the milieu in which the Neue Frau emerged. The 34 images that are included are in black and white; often this is because the original object has long since been destroyed. These essays are important for not privileging the male experience and for highlighting the importance of women in the visual arts of the Weimar era. A worthy compilation that explores a fascinating aspect of German art and a worthwhile acquisition. Upper-division undergraduate; graduate; faculty; professional. K. A. Rusnock University of Southern California