The 1920s: Between Modernity and Terror

The Roaring Twenties were a golden age in America and France. The economy was prospering and society, after the shock of the First World War, had risen again under the banner of Modernism and a free cultural style focused on innovation and a hedonistic vision of the future. Artists drew inspiration from modernity. Cars, airplanes, the carefree life of young people and women in particular, were themes celebrated by many artists who bore witness to the excitement of an optimistic world projected into the future. During the same historical period, in other countries such as Germany - which had instead emerged defeated from the First World War - art bore witness to something completely different. Hedonism was the object of satire and many artists instead viewed with anxiety and concern the change brought about by modern times. This exhibition focuses on the 20 years between the two world wars and presents approximately 230 works by artists who expressed the era of Modernism with different, often discordant, interpretations. A useful metaphor for understanding not only the history of the twentieth century, but also for interpreting today's world.