The first few decades of the 20th century saw dramatic changes in the physical and social landscape of New York City, including the digging of subway tunnels, the construction of skyscrapers, and waves of immigration. Many American artists asserted their modernity with paintings, photographs, and experimental films that chronicled these changes in the urban environment. This course examines New York cityscapes and street scenes by the Ashcan School, members of the Stieglitz circle, the Precisionists, Social Realists, and artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance. An institutional context frames this survey of modern American art, including discussion of the watershed Armory Show of 1913 and the founding of MoMA and the Whitney Museum circa 1930.