Ein kalifornischer Zauberberg

Built in the 1920s, Hearst Castle is regarded as a hyperreal castle located between myth and monument, kitsch and curiosity. Nina Lucia Groß offers a first in-depth art-historical assessment of the ensemble, placing it in the context of Californian modernism. Architecture, interior design, collection and landscaped grounds are examined as an assemblage of mobilized objects, images and styles. Based on intensive source research, the study reconstructs Julia Morgans and William Randolph Hearsts collaborative practice, reading the estate as a project of cultural transfer. Historical analysis and an examination of the castles continuing role in popular culture and tourism intertwine and reveal Hearst Castle as a built setting as well as a dynamic space of the collective imagination. - Hearst Castle and Californian modernism Reevaluation of Hearst Castle as an architectural assemblage Innovative links between research into architecture, collection and cultural transfer

Nina Lucia Gros is an art historian and a curator. She received her doctorate from the University of Hamburg with a thesis on the architectural and cultural history of Hearst Castle. Her research combines architectural history, collection research, and cultural-theoretical issues. As a curator, lecturer and author, she deals with the design and cultural history of interiors, art, pop culture and museum displays, as well as with nostalgia, distinction and self-positioning in the media.