"In German Encounters with Modernism, 1840-1945, Peter Paret traces the reception of modern art, from the 1840s through the Nazi era, through the lens of social and political developments in Germany. Addressing broad cultural topics, such as the early history of expressionism, the role of anti-Semitism in German reactions to modernism, the impact of the First World War on art, and the function of art as both a political target and a political weapon, the work also includes new interpretations of artists such as the sculptor Ernst Barlach. Based on wide-ranging archival research, the book combines a strong narrative approach with interdisciplinary analysis. It opens new perspectives on the history of German art in a critically important, and ultimately tragic, period of German history."--BOOK JACKET.