WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. On Tuesday, Dec. 10, the Clark Art Institute's Research and Academic Program presents a talk by Christophe Koné (associate professor of German and director of the Oakley Center for Humanities and Social Sciences at Williams College) on his new book, "Uncanny Creatures: Doll Thinking in Modern German Culture" (University of Michigan, 2024). 

 

According to a press release:

 

In it he examines dolls' omnipresence in the material, visual, and literary culture of the modern German-speaking world. Because dolls occupy a liminal space—not quite things and more than mere objects—they appear as uncanny creatures which have held a fascination for writers, thinkers, and artists alike, including Rainer Maria Rilke, Oscar Kokoschka, and Hans Bellmer, among others. Uncanny Creatures moves past the Freudian discourse of fetishism to propose a new reading of doll artifacts in German culture centered on their ability to evoke a feeling of uncertainty and unsettlement in the viewer. 

 

Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524. A reception at 5 pm in the Manton Research Center reading room precedes the event.