Modernism and the City. The Exception of London

Modernism in London had a modest impact while the so called avant-guardes hardly existed at all. This might look as an anomaly, considering that Modernism is seen as an eminently urban movement and that at the beginning of the XX century London was the only European megalopolis. Yet rather than as a sign of cultural backwardness, we should understand this modest development of Modernism within the context of the transformation of London into a metropolis well ahead of time compared to other European capitals.