LANCASTER, Pa. - "What is Austrian About Austrian Art (and History)? Klimt, the Secession, and the Patronage of Viennese Modern Art" will be the topic of a talk given by historian Steven Beller on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 4:30 p.m. in the Ware House Commons at Franklin & Marshall College. The talk is free and open to the public. Beller, the author of "A Concise History of Austria," will sign copies of his book following the lecture. For a small, prosperous country in the middle of Europe, modern Austria has a very large and complex history, extending far beyond its current borders. Beller's gripping and comprehensive account traces the remarkable career of Austria through its many transformations, from German borderland, to dynastic enterprise, imperial house, Central European great power, failed Alpine republic, German province, and then successful Alpine republic, building up a picture of the layers of Austrian identity and heritage and their diverse sources. It is a story full of anomalies and ironies, a case study of the other side of European history, without the easy answers of more clearly national narratives, and hence far more relevant to today's world. Beller was born in London, England in 1958, of American and Austrian parents. He was educated at Cambridge University. His books include Vienna and the Jews, 1867-1938: A Cultural History (Cambridge University Press, 1989); Theodor Herzl (Halban, 1991); and Francis Joseph (Longman, 1996). He also edited and introduced the anthology Rethinking Vienna 1900 (Berghahn, 2001). -30- |
