The beginning of the twentieth century reflects a plethora of various different art movements. The developments of and the transition from the 19th century allow the new century to challenge the long history of visual culture developed since the Renaissance. Cubism, sparking this period, immediately evolves into those other movements that reach their climax by break of the First World War. Although different social and political movements accompany the artistic movements the avant-garde marks the first period. In the period between 1914 and 1950 the authoritarian regimes, the adjacent cultural movements not only bring out the western metaphysics to a crossroads and art from architecture to painting takes new shifts. The course will focus on the analysis of these different movements with particular emphasis on the social and cultural conditions.