How to Talk to Children About 20th Century Art. From Modernism to Contemporary Art

Françoise Barb-Gall, the author of the book "How to Talk to Children About Art," this time addresses the topic of 20th-century art. She shows the direction to take in order to better understand specific works, movements, and artists representing this period, which puzzles and confounds many viewers. We encounter contemporary art everywhere: not only in museums and art galleries but also simply on the street. Despite these frequent encounters, it still surprises us, and sometimes it even disturbs or irritates us. To make contemporary art more understandable, the author discusses it in simple language accessible to non-specialists. The book consists of two parts: the first part aims to give the reader confidence by explaining the main trends in art from this time. The second part consists of thirty analyses of specific works. They are structured as a series of questions that can be discussed with children and are divided into conditional age groups - 5-7 years, 8-10 years, and older - from 11 to 13 years. These questions help to engage with the artwork, moving from looking at it to interpretation and then to generalization, that is, drawing conclusions about the corresponding period and the artist. Based on this book, parents, other older relatives, and teachers will be able to go beyond their own perceptions and instill in children a deeper and more positive view of contemporary art.