History of Modern Scandinavian Art & Architecture

Course Director: Peder Fallenius

This course is offered by The Swedish Program in collaboration with Stockholm School of Economics.

The course addresses modernism and the idea of the modernist Swedish art and architecture from the late nineteenth century to present day. Some focus is placed on the role of the landscape and urban environment in art and architecture as affected by Sweden’s development from agricultural society to urban welfare state. Although centered on artistic and architectural development and practices in Sweden the course aims to give an introduction to modernist and contemporary art and architecture in general. The course includes visits to some of the major art collections and some of the architectural landmarks of Stockholm.

Participation

Students are expected to attend all classes, you have to come to classes and study visits to pass the class. Furthermore, students are expected to read texts for consultation in class and to prepare presentations for the study visits. Active participation in class discussions of texts (manifestos) and pictures (attribuitions) is essential. You should prepare for each class by writing down the questions you have about the text and its relation to the course content. Unexcused absence will lower your grade.

Class Hours: preliminary Fridays 13:30 - 16:30 (occasionally 17:15)
Locations: Excursions, apart from the first session, which will be in room A975a
Office hours: By appointment.

Please note that you can only join the waiting list by contacting course administrator.

Course administrator: Anna.Meijerberg@hhs.se

Students will be able to

• Identify and describe the different characteristics of the many stylistic approaches to art and architecture of the 20th century
• Discuss and contextualize the changing approaches in the art and architecture of the 20th century

General entry requirements

Course material:

• Alan Colquhoun Modern Architecture
• Oxford History of Art Oxford University Press 2002

Additional reading:

• Utopia & reality: modernity in Sweden 1900-1960 : [Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture, New York, March 14 - June 16, 2002] / [editor: Cecilia Widenheim ; translators Henning Koch, Sylvester Mazzarella, David McDuff]
• New Haven: Yale University Press, cop. 2002

Additional reading as preparation for presentations.

Additional texts for consultation in class.

Detailed syllabus (preliminary)

Session 1: A short introduction Swedish art and architecture during the 20th century

Session 2: Architecture and town planning: from the turn of the century to the 1920s

Reading: Louis Sullivan The tall office building artistically considered 1896

Topics covered: Classist traditions in architecture, neo-classicism (Swedish Grace), Art nouveau. Using town planning and architecture in central Stockholm.

Session 3: Art of the turn of the century: Waldemarsudde

Reading: Reactions to the first impressionist exhibition 1874 (excerpts)

Topics covered: impressionism and symbolism. Using the art collection exhibited at Waldemarsudde

Session 4: Art of the early 20th century at Moderna Museet

Reading: F. T Marinetti Futurist manifesto1909

Topics covered: fauvism, cubism, futurism and early abstraction. Using the art collection exhibited at Moderna Museet.

Session 4: Architecture and town planning: City and Suburbia

Reading: Le Corbusier Towards a new architecture 1923 (excerpt)

Topics covered: architecture and planning ideas of the mid-20th century. Using town planning and architecture in central Stockholm and suburban Vällingby.

Session 5: Art of the mid-20th century at Moderna Museet

Reading: André Breton Surrealist manifesto 1924

Topics covered: surrealism, dadaism, informal art. Using the art collection exhibited at Moderna Museet.

Session 6: Public art

Reading: depending on the current debate.

Topics covered: public art as an integral part of public building projects in Sweden in the period from the 1940 until now. Using examples in the central parts of Stockholm.

Session 7: Architecture and town planning: Karlaplan and beyond

Reading: Camillo Sitte Town planning according to artistic principles 1889 (excerpt)

Topics covered: ideas about planning and architecture from the late 19th century through the 20th century using a part of Stockholm rich in examples from the entire period.

Session 8: Architecture and town planning: Housing

Reading: Ebenezer Howard Garden cities of tomorrow 1898 (excerpt)

Topics covered: ideas and examples of housing from the 1920s up to current projects using areas of housing in Hammarbyhöjden, Hammarby Sjöstad and at Södermalm.

Session 9: Art of the late 20th century art and contemporary art

Session 10: Architecture and town planning: Ceremonial sites: The Woodland Cemetery

Topics covered: a visit to the cemetery on the UN World Heritage Lists summing up the themes covered during the semester.

Attendance for all sessions is mandatory. The Swedish Program students will be graded according to the United States grading system and SSE students will be graded according to SSE’s grading system.

Students will be given a midterm and final exam, each comprised of two essay questions to take home. Exams that are submitted after the deadline and without prior agreement will be marked down. The late penalty will be progressively more severe the later the assignment is submitted.

Presentations
Each student will be responsible for presentations in class during the semester. Depending on the size of the class the presentations are carried out individually, in pairs or in groups. The presentations are given during the scheduled study visits and are expected to be a 5–10-minute talk in front of the class.

Grading
The final grade will be a weighing together of the results during the semester.
Your grade will be calculated according to the following breakdown:

• 20% Attendance and participation
• 20% Presentations and consultations
• 25% Midterm
• 35% Final

Academic dishonesty: Any form of academic dishonesty is a violation of our code of conduct and will result in disciplinary actions. Plagiarism or other forms of cheating will result in an automatic F for the assignment, and may also result in an immediate F for the course as a whole, based on the assessment of the Director of Studies and the Executive Director. If you want to use AI to assist your writing, you must adhere to the following guidelines: AI-assisted writing is permissible as long as its use is properly documented and does not substitute for students’ doing the actual writing work. For all written take-home assignments, students who have used AI to assist them are required to submit a summary describing how they have used AI to help them complete the assignment (producing text, proofreading, finding citations, etc).
In addition, students also have to clearly indicate which passages have been produced or assisted by AI, for example in a footnote that details how AI was used in that particular instance. Failure to acknowledge one’s use of AI to complete an assignment will count as academic dishonesty and be subject to the same penalties as outright plagiarism or other forms of cheating.

Find the course schedule in TimeEdit

SSE students should note that the course period is from calendar week 3 through calendar week 17 (with a two-week break).

Schedule (preliminary)

2027-01-22 13:30 16:30
2027-01-29 13:30 16:30
2027-02-05 13:30 16:30
2027-02-12 13:30 16:30
2027-02-26 13:30 16:30
2027-03-05 13:30 16:30
2027-03-12 13:30 16:30
2027-03-19 13:30 16:30
2027-04-16 13:30 16:30
2027-04-23 13:30 16:30

Have you been granted educational support because of a documented disability? If so, please contact the course director as soon as possible so that adequate accommodations can be made.

Contact specialneeds@hhs.se if you have questions about being granted educational support or need a copy of your educational support certificate.

For more information, visit the Specific Educational Needs page on the Student Hub (login required).