Review: Modernism after Wagner by Juliet Koss

Richard Wagner's influence on opera, theater, and art theory remains profound, with his original Bayreuth Festival Theatre serving as a foundational model for modern productions. Designed by Otto Brückwald (exterior) and Karl Brandt (interior), the theatre embodied Wagner’s vision of the Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art), drawing from Gottfried Semper’s architectural principles. Juliet Koss’s Modernism after Wagner explores how this integration of arts—first theorized by Wagner but rooted in Semper’s ideas—shaped modernist movements, particularly in German culture. The book analyzes the enduring legacy of Bayreuth’s design and its impact on subsequent theatrical and artistic innovations.

Jaskot, P. B. (2011). Review: Modernism after Wagner by Juliet Koss. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 70(2), 258–260. https://doi.org/10.1525/jsah.2011.70.2.258