The evolution of massive stars in the LMC is still a matter of
controversy. The most important problems here are the role of
the red supergiant stage and the dependence of stellar evolution
on mass loss.
The physical properties of the red supergiants (and yellow super-
giants, too) in the LMC are not well known. To determine these,
the spectral energy distribution of the stars over a large wave
length interval has to be measured. Therefore spectrophotometry
has to be carried out not only in the UV and optical domain, but
also in the IR. This will allow a precise determination of effec-
tive temperatures. As the distance of the LMC is well known, ab-
solute fluxes can be accurately transformed into bolometric lumi-
nosities.
To investigate the role of mass loss for the different stages
of stellar evolution, luminous stars of all spectral types from
O to M will be observed. The IR excesses of the stars will give in-
formations about the amount of circumstellar dust and thus about
mass loss rates. The chemical evolution of circumstellar dust
shells will be studied by observing PAH and silicate features.