At the beginning of the 20th century, the discovery of early cultures exerted a formative influence on modern architecture. Discussions on early civilizations in the Middle East, South-East Asia, and the pre-Columbian cultures of North and South America as well as new perceptions of archaism and primitivism revolutionized the production of art and architecture. In this anthology, European and North and South American scholars from various fields address art and architectural theory to show the avant-garde’s historical relation to archaeology and its influence on the development of Modernism. Contributors include Can Bilsel (San Diego), Luis E. Carranza (Rhode Island), Johannes Cramer (Berlin), Christian Freigang (Frankfurt), Maria P. Gindhart (Atlanta), Jorge F. Liernur (Buenos Aires), Anna Minta (Bern), and Bernd Nicolai (Bern).

Anna Minta is Assistant Professor of Architectural History and Preservation at Bern University, Department of Art History. Her research concentrates on architecture and political representation in the 19th and 20th century in Europe, Israel and the United States. In 2004 she published Bernd Nicolai is Professor of Architectural History and Preservation at Bern University, Department of Art History. His research focuses on art and architecture in the middle ages and the development after the industrial revolution. Among numerous articles on architecture and cultural transfer he published (1998).

Contents: Thomas W. Gaehtgens: Introduction – Bernd Nicolai/Luis E. Carranza: Modernity and Early Cultures - an outline – Can Bilsel: Architecture in the Museum: Theodor Wiegand and the Reproduction of Antiquity in Berlin’s Pergamon Museum – Johannes Cramer: Rebuilding the Past. The Mesopotamia of Robert Koldewey and Walter Andrae and the Berlin Architecture in the Twenties – Anna Minta: «Gebautes und Gottgeschaffenes». Vorstellungen vom Orient und einem biblischen Hebräertum in der jüdischen Architektur in Palästina – Christian Freigang: Klassik vs. Antiklassik: Zur Rezeption von nichtwestlichen Kulturen in den französischen Architekturdebatten im ersten Drittel des 20. Jahrhunderts – Maria P. Gindhart: Primitive Decoration: Belle Époque Sculpture Programs for Parisian Scientific Institutions – Bernd Nicolai: «Gegenstandslose Architektur». Außereuropäische Hochkulturen im Diskurs der beginnenden klassischen Moderne – Luis E. Carranza: (Mis)readings of Ancient History and Culture in Modern North America – Jorge Francisco Liernur: Native-American Cultures and the Construction of Modern European Architectural Imaginary. Notes for a Preliminary Approach. Inhaltsverzeichnis