The founding of the Art in Embassies program and the misrepresentation of American art.

Art in Embassies program;The Museum of Modern Art;Abstract expressionism;Nancy Kefauver;Cold war;Pop art

Zachary Scott Distel

University:University of Louisville

Department:Fine Arts

关键词: Art in Embassies program;    The Museum of Modern Art;    Abstract expressionism;    Nancy Kefauver;    Cold war;    Pop art;   

Others  :  https://ir.library.louisville.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1354&context=etd

美国|英语

来源: The Universite of Louisville's Institutional Repository

【 摘 要 】

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s New York’s Museum of Modern Art commodified thepaintings of Abstract Expressionist artists. By commodifying the artwork, the Museum ofModern Art could then present it as a product of American capitalism thereby making it apowerful diplomatic tool for Cold War diplomacy. This was achieved through theMuseum of Modern Art’s curatorial decisions, exhibitions, covert dealings by theMuseum’s leadership, and formalist analysis during the period. Formalist analysis isfocused on aestheticizing works of art. The State Department’s Art in Embassies Programwas directly influenced by the Museum of Modern Art and practiced the samecommodification in its curatorial practices for exhibiting not only Abstract Expressionistbut also Pop art. This curatorial practice undermined the anti-capitalist goals of bothAbstract Expressionism and Pop Art.