The making of the Eiffel Tower as a modern icon

Although somewhat controversial at first, the building of the Eiffel Tower in 1889 was a milestone in the struggle of modem art. The Tower soon became an icon of modem times and a challenge for artists, who used it not only as a subject in painting and cinema (Seurat, Rousseau, Chagall, Rend Clair) and poetry and drama (Apollinaire, Cendrars, Huidobro, Cocteau), but also as a device with which to make a statement about avantgarde art.