» SEE ALL ISSUES » Vol.13, Nº.2 (November 2022-April 2023)

BUILDING ART DIPLOMACY: THE CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN ART EXHIBITION IN LATIN AMERICA DURING 1941

Sociologist and Master in Social Research (UBA) and PhD in History (UTDT). She teaches in the
Department of Historical and Social Studies at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (Argentina) and
at the Centro Cultural Ricardo Rojas (UBA). She has published several books and articles,
including "Nelson Rockefeller y la diplomacia del arte en América Latina" in Eudeba 2021.

PDF HTML

Resumo

This article analyzes the visual narrative expressed in the exhibition Contemporary North
American Painting during 1941. It was an attempt by the U.S. government to build an image
of the United States as a modern and industrialized society on South Americans. Over the last
decades, concepts such as cultural diplomacy, soft power, and cultural imperialism have
become part of academic analysis. They were used to talk about the relationship between the
United States and Latin America. Cultural diplomacy has often been utilized to analyze the
United States foreign policy during Cold War, understanding it as a set of cultural strategies
that the American government introduced to align Latin American countries against
communism in the USSR. One issue that differs between the Second World War and the Cold
War is that cultural diplomacy was regarded as a cultural battle against communism and the
USSR. In contrast, the Good Neighbor Policy was conceptualized as a paternalistic position
from the United States, committed to avoiding intervening in the domestic policy of Latin
American countries. Authors such as Gisella Cramer (2012) researched the OCIAA and
Roosevelt Politics and revisited aspects and results from the office. Darlene Sadlier (2012), in
her book “American All,” analyzed the different departments and the importance of Good Will
Tours from 1939 to 1945. Also, authors such as Ricardo Salvatore (2006; 2016), in his studies
on “Informal Empire,” have helped understand the relationship with the representational
machinery of the U.S. government. From the art perspective, Olga Herrera’s research (2017)
on Latin American Exhibition has enormous significance for my analysis. They do not delve
into constructing the visual narrative about Latin America as part of the Good Neighbor
exhibition complex. The article was based on reading, analyzing, and cataloging primary
sources. Likewise, the exhibited works of art were operationalized.

Este artigo analisa a narrativa visual expressa na exposição "Contemporary North American Painting during 1941". Foi uma tentativa de o governo dos EUA construir uma imagem do país como sociedade moderna e industrializada sobre os sul-americanos. Nas últimas décadas, conceitos como diplomacia cultural, soft power, e imperialismo cultural tornara m-se parte da análise académica. Foram utilizados para apresentar a relação entre os Estados Unidos e a América Latina. A diplomacia cultural tem sido frequentemente utilizada para analisar a política externa dos Estados Unidos durante a Guerra Fria, entendendo-a como um conjunto de estratégias culturais que o governo americano introduziu para alinhar os países latino-americanos contra o comunismo na URSS. Uma questão que difere entre a Segunda Guerra Mundial e a Guerra Fria é que a diplomacia cultural foi considerada como uma batalha cultural contra o comunismo e a URSS. Em contraste, a Política de Boa Vizinhança foi conceptualizada como uma posição paternalista dos Estados Unidos, empenhada em evitar intervir na política interna dos países latino-americanos. Autores como Gisella Cramer (2012) pesquisaram a OCIAA e Roosevelt Politics e revisitaram aspectos do gabinete. Darlene Sadlier (2012), no seu livro "American All", analisou os diferentes departamentos e a importância das Visitas de Boa Vontade de 1939 a 1945. Além disso, autores como Ricardo Salvatore (2006; 2016), nos seus estudos sobre "Império Informal", ajudaram a compreender a relação com a máquina representativa do governo dos EUA. Da perspectiva da arte, a pesquisa de Olga Herrera (2017) sobre a exposição latino-americana tem um enorme significado para a análise, não se aprofundam na construção da narrativa visual sobre a América Latina como parte do complexo de exposições do Bom Vizinho. O artigo foi baseado na leitura, análise e catalogação de fontes primárias e as obras de arte expostas foram operacionalizadas.

Palavras-chave

Como citar este artigo

Matallana, Andrea (2022). Building Art diplomacy: the Contemporary American Art Exhibition
in Latin America during 1941. Janus.net, e-journal of international relations, Vol13 N2,
November 2022-April 2023. Consulted [online] in date of last visit,
https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-7251.13.2.6

Article received on 29 June, 2022 and accepted for publication on 6 October, 2022