Dear Colleagues and Friends,

We invite you to attend an upcoming afternoon conference around the topic of art and environment in the Third Reich. Hosted by Yale University’s Department of Art History, the conference brings together art and architectural historians working in medieval and modern fields to investigate the relationships between artistic practice, environmental science and eugenic politics under Nazism.

The event will focus in particular on the role played by the aestheticization of race and landscape in the visual arts. By examining the "Nazification of Nature" in art and its reception, we additionally hope to draw critical lessons for reckoning with right-wing adaptations of ecological thought in the age of the Anthropocene.

Following the six academic papers, we will broadcast a short discussion with Bo Zheng, the current artist in-residence at Martin-Gropius Bau, on how plants and politics intersect in his work and, in particular, his upcoming exhibition in Berlin. The event details are as follows:

Fri., Apr. 23rd, 12–4p EST

Register for Zoom link here

We look forward to seeing you and discussing these topics with you later this month!

~Greg Bryda, Kenny Cupers, James van Dyke, Freyja Hartzell, Jacqueline Jung, Hannah Shaw, Matthew Vollgraff, and Bo Zheng