In the 1950s and 1960s, the Organization of American States (OAS), a multinational political org... more In the 1950s and 1960s, the Organization of American States (OAS), a multinational political organization headquartered in Washington, DC, attempted to mediate U.S.-Latin American political and cultural relations. This dissertation traces how, in the United States, Latin American art emerged as a field of art historical study and exhibition via the activities of the OAS. I center my analysis on José Gómez Sicre and Rafael Squirru, two prominent curators who influenced the circulation of Latin American art during the Cold War. Part I focuses on Gómez Sicre, who served as head curator at the OAS from 1946 to 1981 and who founded the Museum of Modern Art of Latin America in 1976. I offer an analysis of Gómez Sicre’s aesthetic tastes, contextualizing them in relation to his contemporaries Alfred H. Barr, Jr., Marta Traba, and Jorge Romero Brest. I also discuss his efforts to build a network of art centers across the Americas, indicating how his activities fed into a Cold War struggle around notions of the “intellectual.” Part II examines the activities of poet and art critic Rafael Squirru, who served as Director of Cultural Affairs of the OAS from 1963 to 1970 and who theorized Latin American art in terms of the “new man.” I reconstruct how the phrase “new man” became a point of ideological conflict in the 1960s in a battle between Squirru and his political rival, Ernesto Ché Guevara. Throughout this dissertation, I indicate how Gómez Sicre and Squirru framed modern art within different Pan-American dreams of future world prosperity, equality, and cooperation. By examining the socio-political implications behind those dreams, I reveal the structures and limits of power shaping their influence during the Cold War. My study concentrates on the period from the founding of the OAS in 1948 to the establishment of the Museum of Modern Art of Latin America in 1976, and I contend that the legacies of Pan-Americanism continue to affect the field of Latin American art today.
While scholars have thoroughly examined José Clemente Orozco‟s (1883- 1949) importance as a Mexi... more While scholars have thoroughly examined José Clemente Orozco‟s (1883- 1949) importance as a Mexican Muralist and acknowledged his international acclaim, meager research exists concerning his influence on the following generation of Mexican artists. This thesis examines the relationship between Orozco and José Luis Cuevas (b. 1934) to establish a more comprehensive view of Orozco and his legacy. A comparative study of the ways both artists use the grotesque in their art—especially in their images of insane individuals, prostitutes, and sideshow performers—provides a framework to analyze points of tension and overlap in their artistic productions and personal philosophies. Too often Orozco's monumental works as a Mexican Muralist overshadow the distinction and defiance evident in his political cartoons, drawings and easel paintings. But, through Cuevas‟s perspective, we discover the many dimensions of Orozco‟s art and his relevance for a generation of Mexican figurative artists of the 1950s.
An essay on Woven Water: Submarine Landscape (1994) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from... more An essay on Woven Water: Submarine Landscape (1994) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from Latin America, 2015
An essay on Los Carpinteros' Podgaric Toy (2013) and their LEGO-related work from Contingent Beau... more An essay on Los Carpinteros' Podgaric Toy (2013) and their LEGO-related work from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from Latin America, 2015
An essay on Restrepo's Paso del Quindío I (1992) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from La... more An essay on Restrepo's Paso del Quindío I (1992) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from Latin America, 2015
An essay on Orozco's Kiss of the Egg (1997) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from Latin A... more An essay on Orozco's Kiss of the Egg (1997) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from Latin America
from Antonio Berni: Juanito and Ramona (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, distributed by Yale Univers... more from Antonio Berni: Juanito and Ramona (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, distributed by Yale University Press, 2013)
from Intersecting Modernities: Latin American Art from the Brillembourg Capriles Collection (Muse... more from Intersecting Modernities: Latin American Art from the Brillembourg Capriles Collection (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, distributed by Yale University Press, 2013)
from Intersecting Modernities: Latin American Art from the Brillembourg Capriles Collection (Muse... more from Intersecting Modernities: Latin American Art from the Brillembourg Capriles Collection (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, distributed by Yale University Press, 2013)
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Organization of American States (OAS), a multinational political org... more In the 1950s and 1960s, the Organization of American States (OAS), a multinational political organization headquartered in Washington, DC, attempted to mediate U.S.-Latin American political and cultural relations. This dissertation traces how, in the United States, Latin American art emerged as a field of art historical study and exhibition via the activities of the OAS. I center my analysis on José Gómez Sicre and Rafael Squirru, two prominent curators who influenced the circulation of Latin American art during the Cold War. Part I focuses on Gómez Sicre, who served as head curator at the OAS from 1946 to 1981 and who founded the Museum of Modern Art of Latin America in 1976. I offer an analysis of Gómez Sicre’s aesthetic tastes, contextualizing them in relation to his contemporaries Alfred H. Barr, Jr., Marta Traba, and Jorge Romero Brest. I also discuss his efforts to build a network of art centers across the Americas, indicating how his activities fed into a Cold War struggle around notions of the “intellectual.” Part II examines the activities of poet and art critic Rafael Squirru, who served as Director of Cultural Affairs of the OAS from 1963 to 1970 and who theorized Latin American art in terms of the “new man.” I reconstruct how the phrase “new man” became a point of ideological conflict in the 1960s in a battle between Squirru and his political rival, Ernesto Ché Guevara. Throughout this dissertation, I indicate how Gómez Sicre and Squirru framed modern art within different Pan-American dreams of future world prosperity, equality, and cooperation. By examining the socio-political implications behind those dreams, I reveal the structures and limits of power shaping their influence during the Cold War. My study concentrates on the period from the founding of the OAS in 1948 to the establishment of the Museum of Modern Art of Latin America in 1976, and I contend that the legacies of Pan-Americanism continue to affect the field of Latin American art today.
While scholars have thoroughly examined José Clemente Orozco‟s (1883- 1949) importance as a Mexi... more While scholars have thoroughly examined José Clemente Orozco‟s (1883- 1949) importance as a Mexican Muralist and acknowledged his international acclaim, meager research exists concerning his influence on the following generation of Mexican artists. This thesis examines the relationship between Orozco and José Luis Cuevas (b. 1934) to establish a more comprehensive view of Orozco and his legacy. A comparative study of the ways both artists use the grotesque in their art—especially in their images of insane individuals, prostitutes, and sideshow performers—provides a framework to analyze points of tension and overlap in their artistic productions and personal philosophies. Too often Orozco's monumental works as a Mexican Muralist overshadow the distinction and defiance evident in his political cartoons, drawings and easel paintings. But, through Cuevas‟s perspective, we discover the many dimensions of Orozco‟s art and his relevance for a generation of Mexican figurative artists of the 1950s.
An essay on Woven Water: Submarine Landscape (1994) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from... more An essay on Woven Water: Submarine Landscape (1994) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from Latin America, 2015
An essay on Los Carpinteros' Podgaric Toy (2013) and their LEGO-related work from Contingent Beau... more An essay on Los Carpinteros' Podgaric Toy (2013) and their LEGO-related work from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from Latin America, 2015
An essay on Restrepo's Paso del Quindío I (1992) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from La... more An essay on Restrepo's Paso del Quindío I (1992) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from Latin America, 2015
An essay on Orozco's Kiss of the Egg (1997) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from Latin A... more An essay on Orozco's Kiss of the Egg (1997) from Contingent Beauty: Contemporary Art from Latin America
from Antonio Berni: Juanito and Ramona (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, distributed by Yale Univers... more from Antonio Berni: Juanito and Ramona (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, distributed by Yale University Press, 2013)
from Intersecting Modernities: Latin American Art from the Brillembourg Capriles Collection (Muse... more from Intersecting Modernities: Latin American Art from the Brillembourg Capriles Collection (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, distributed by Yale University Press, 2013)
from Intersecting Modernities: Latin American Art from the Brillembourg Capriles Collection (Muse... more from Intersecting Modernities: Latin American Art from the Brillembourg Capriles Collection (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, distributed by Yale University Press, 2013)
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