Artforum, vol. MoMAs newly expanded role in representing the United States abroad was explained by a New York Times article of December 30, 1956. 1962 to 1963 McCray year's travel Asia and Africa under the joint auspices of the State Department and MOMA. Porter A. McCray 1950s worked in the Office during the War. Foreign Relations Committee; speech; Red art brigade, "The Rockefellers promptly arranged a solution to this dilemma (see previous paragraph regarding sending of exhibitions overseas). As this art brings people into presence and makes them feel some different, it has as much as social values as any other type of artwork such as cubism, surrealism has. Embracing improvisation (simultaneous creation and production), individuality, and energy, it was the first art movement with origins in America. MOMA bought the United States pavilion in Venice took sole responsibility for the exhibitions from 1954 to 1962. It is these boards of trusteesoften the same prominent citizens who control banks and corporations and help shape the formulation of foreign policywhich ultimately determine museum policy, hire and fire directors, and to which the professional staff is held accountable. November 9, 2010 / Klint Finley. For example, the State Department refused to take the responsibility for U.S. representation at the Venice Biennale, perhaps the most important of international-cultural-political art events, where all the European countries including the Soviet Union competed for cultural honors. Post-Stalin era 1956 Polish government was under Gomulka became more liberal Tadeusz Kantor, an artist from Cracow impressed by Pollock's works and other abstractionists seen during an earlier trip to Paris led movement away from socialist realism in Poland. Published an article in defense of his political cultural activities 'I'm glad the CIA is "Immoral"' in the 20 May 1967 issue of Saturday Evening Post. Barrs introduction to the catalogue exemplified the cold war propaganda role of Abstract Expressionist art. Langley's Ivy-trained spooks did what no intelligence service has . Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. 4852. "Rockefeller, through Barr and others at the Museum his mother founded and his family controlled, consciously used Abstract Expressionism, 'the symbol of political freedom', for political ends.". In this context, the fact that MoMA has always been a Rockefeller-dominated institution becomes particularly relevant (other families financing the museum, although to a lesser extent than the Rockefellers, include the Whitneys, Paleys, Blisses, Warburgs, and Lewisohns). Abstract The aim of the thesis is to analyze the influences of Abstract Expressionism and its connection with American propaganda. This essay has been submitted by a student. All rights reserved. May 1973 Artforum Max Kozloff similarity between 'American cold war rhetoric' and way many Abstract Expressionist artists phrased their existentialist-individualist credos. The development, American cold war politics was directly shaped by the Rockefellers in particular, Chase Manhattan Bank, the financial center, , on how the Museum could serve as a weapon for, grams which set the pattern for its later activities as a key institution, became a minor war contractor, fulfilling 38 contracts for, Information, and especially Nelson Rockefeller's Office, painting which were shipped around Latin America, an area, foreign activities. links; forged consciously; enlightened cold war tactics, The political relationship between Abstract Expressionism and the cold war can be clearly perceived through the international programs of MOMA. Theodore Streibert, Director of USIA testified before Senator Fulbright's Foreign Relations Committee acknowledged that USIA had a policy against the use of politically suspect artist's works in foreign exhibitions. Art Documentation Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America Available from: https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/abstract-expressionism-art-as-a-weapon-of-cold-war/. Keywords: Immoral; dissenting opinions; liberal and social fronts, Topic sentence: "As this example suggests, CIA's purpose in supporting international intellectual and cultural activities were not limited to espionage or establishing contact with leading foreign intellectuals.". Exhibition included a comprehensive catalog by prestigious Alfred H. Barr Jr. toured eight European countries 1958-59. More crucially, CIA sought to influence the foreign intellectual community and to present a strong propaganda image of the United States as a free society as opposed to the regimented communist bloc. Rene d'Harnoncourt, who had proven himself an, time Mexico's oil nationalism threatened Rockefeller oil interests, was appointed, a particularly powerful and effective man in the history, was trained as an architect at Yale University and introduced to, war, Nelson Rockefeller brought McCray into MOM A as director, exhibits. Kozloff: "interested more in aesthetic values than in political action.". In this context, abstract expressionism thought to be apolitical and internationally prestigious was an ideal "weapon of the Cold War" for the United States. representation in shows where most nations were represented by government-sponsored exhibits. In addition to his role at MoMA, Barr was an artistic advisor to Peggy Guggenheim, whose Surrealist-oriented Art of This Century Gallery gave some of these artists their first important shows in the mid-1940s. Accounts of cultures and cultural policies at the margins of Europe within this volume show that this experience of liminality is not restricted to migrant communities but also to societies in transition. Founded and supported by the giants of industry and finance, American museums were set up on the model of their corporate parents. October 1963 Asia became a particularly crucial area for the United States McCray left MOMA became director for the John D. Rockefeller 3, corporate luminaries; mutually supportive; cultural apparatus, "The United States government simply could not handle the needs of cultural imperialism alone during the cold war, at least overtly.". Keywords: political commitment; end of ideology; divorce between politics and art, Topic sentence: "Attempts to claim that styles of art are politically neutral when there is no overt political subject-matter are as simplistic as Dondero-ish attacks on all abstract art as 'subversive'.". 1950s Porter McCray director of MOMA in effect, also carried out government functions. Possible since Pollock and most of the other avant-garde artists no longer interested in political activism. The political strife in Europe brought about by World War II forced many artists to emigrate to the United States, bringing with them their own traditions and ideas. USIA as a government agency handcuffed by the virulent the noisy speeches of right-wing congressmen like Representative George A. Dondero (Michigan) regularly denounced from the House floor abstract art and 'brainwashed artists in the uniform of the Red art brigade'. the 1960s and 1970s, David Rockefeller and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, 3rd, ent, has been an individual trained and groomed by the various foundations and, agencies controlled or managed by the Rockefellers. "McCray is a particularly powerful and effective man in the history of cultural imperialism.". "Barr's 'credentials' as cultural cold warrior, and the political rationale behind the promotion and export of Abstract Expressionist art during the cold-war years, are set forth in a, Barr argued totalitarianism and Realism go together. ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM, WEAPON OF THE COLD WAR McCray served as one of the Rockefellers' main agents in furthering pro- grammes for the export of American culture to areas considered vital to Rockefeller interests: Latin America during the war, Europe immediately afterwards, most of the world during the 1950s, and in the 1960s Asia. Abstract. Abstract impressionism as the CIA's propaganda tool in the Cold War | by Marina Vorontsova | maryvorontsov | Medium 500 Apologies, but something went wrong on our end. This change was manifested in the organization of the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors in 1943, a group which included several of the Abstract Expressionists. In 1956, the international program of The Museum of Modern Art was greatly expanded in both its financial base and in its aims. The Federations trustees voted unanimously not to participate in the show if any paintings were barred by the Government, citing a 1954 resolution that art should be judged on its merits as a work of art and not by the political or social views of the artist., Objections against censorship were also raised by the American Committee for Cultural Freedom (which was revealed as receiving CIA funds in the 1967 exposs). By labyrinth he meant an arbitrary sequence of directions designed, through the presentation of many alternatives of movement, to mislead and imprison. In many ways, American museums came to fulfill the role, museum, unlike its European counterpart, developed primarily as a private, institution. Rising success of abstract expressionism post WWII entails consideration of the role of the leading museum of contemporary art The Museum Of Modern Art (MOMA) also concerned with the ideological needs of officers (period of virulent anti-communism and an intensifying 'Cold war'). 1956 art-show scandals of the USIA illustrative of the problems faced by the government solution provided by MOMA. Rich and powerful patrons of the arts, men like Rockefeller and Whitney, who control -the museums and help oversee foreign policy, also recognize the value of culture in the political arena. Topic sentence: "The alleged separation of art from politics proclaimed throughout the 'free world' with the resurgence of abstraction after the Second World War was part of a general tendency in intellectual circles toward 'objectivity'. Some of the immediate projects which the Council is taking over financially are United States participation in three major international art exhibitions and a show of modern painting to travel in Europe. Abstract Expressionists also represented at shows in Venezuela, Japan, India, etc. (17,327 files) Abstract expressionism weapon of the cold war vectors free download graphic art designs Keywords: anxiety, commitment and dreadful freedom; defiant rejection, Topic sentence: "As the director of MOMA from its inception until 1944, Barr was the single most important man in shaping the Museum's artistic character and determining the success or failure of individual American artists and art movements.". Abstract art, on the other hand, is feared and prohibited by the Hitlers and Stalins (as well as the Donderos of the world, who would equate abstraction with communism). However failed to examine full import of this insight claimed: 'This was a coincidence that must surely have gone unnoticed by rulers and ruled alike.' . However, Kozloff failed to examine the full import of this seminal insight, claiming instead that this was a coincidence that must surely have gone unnoticed by rulers and ruled alike. Not so. In the world of art, Abstract Expressionism constituted the ideal style for these propaganda activities. A year later, he was brought to MoMA as vice-president in charge of foreign activities. "Primarily, MOMA became a minor war contractor, fulfilling 38 contracts for cultural materials totaling $1,590,234 for the Library of Congress, the Office of War Information, and especially Nelson Rockefeller's Office of the Co-coordinator of the Inter-American Affairs", For Nelson's Office of Inter-American Affairs mother's museum put together 19 exhibitions of contemporary American painting shipped around Latin America area in which Nelson R. developed his most lucrative investments for example, Creole Petroleum. Although Nelson vacated the MoMA presidency in 1940 to become President Roosevelts coordinator of the Office of Inter-American Affairs and later assistant secretary of state for Latin American affairs, he dominated the museum throughout the 1940s and 1950s, returning to MoMAs presidency in 1946. Eva Cockcroft, Abstract Expressionism, Weapon of the Cold War. MoMAs international program, under McCrays directorship, provided exhibitions of contemporary American artprimarily the Abstract Expressionistsfor international exhibitions in London, Paris, So Paulo, and Tokyo (it also brought foreign shows to the United States). The Absolute and the Cold War: Discourses of Abstract Expressionism (Encounters. Topic sentence: "In terms of cultural propaganda, the functions of both the CIA cultural apparatus and MOMA's international programs were similar and, in fact, mutually supportive.". Artistically avant-garde and original, Abstract Expressionism could show the United States as culturally up-to-date in competition with Paris. Post industrial revolution art became part of general flow of commodities in the market no direct contact with patrons, "In rejecting materialistic values of bourgeois society and indulging in the myth that they could exist entirely outside the dominant culture in Bohemian enclaves, avant-garde artists generally refused to recognize or accept their role as producers of a cultural commodity", Rejected materialistic values of bourgeois society refused to accept their roles as creators of a commercial product. As director of MoMAs international activities throughout the 1950s, Porter A. McCray in effect carried out governmental functions, even as Braden and the CIA served the interests of the Rockefellers and other corporate luminaries in the American ruling class. 1956 international program of MOMA greatly expanded in financial base and in its aims. Barrs credentials as a cultural cold warrior, and the political rationale behind the promotion and export of Abstract Expressionist art during the cold war years, are set forth in a New York Times Magazine article Barr wrote in 1952, Is Modern Art Communistic?, a condemnation of social realism in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Thesis Statement: "Rockefeller, through Barr and others at the Museum his mother founded and his family controlled, consciously used Abstract Expressionism, 'the symbol of political freedom', for political ends. The brutality of their art was a screaming out of rage at what their world had become. Links between cultural cold war politics and the success of abstract expressionism are by no means coincidental, or unnoticeable. Abstract Expressionism: Weapon of the Cold War. Museums, for their part, enlarged their role to become more than mere. Founded in opposition to the politically motivated Artists Congress, the new Federation was led by artists who, in Kozloffs words, were interested more in aesthetic values than in political action. On the one hand, the earlier political activism of some of the Abstract Expressionists was a liability in terms of gaining congressional approval for government-sponsored cultural projects. Barr even after leaving directorship at MOMA continued to serve as the agency's reigning tastemaker his support of Abstract Expressionist art played an influential role in their success. Cultural field CIA funded a Paris tour of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1952. Topic sentence: Links between cultural cold war politics and the success of abstract expressionism are by no means coincidental, or unnoticeable. Abstract expressionism is derived from the combination of the emotional intensity and self-denial of the German expressionists with the anti-figurative aesthetic of the European abstract schools, such as futurism, the Bauhaus, and synthetic cubism. This kind of development was seen as a triumph for the Non-communists 'the American side'. If you find papers matching your . Idea of political commitment foreign to the newly developing milieu of the 1950s. ", June 1941 central press wire story MOMA 'largest and strangest recruit in Uncle Sam's defense line-up' quoted Chairman of the Museum's Board of trustees, John Hay Whitney The museum could serve as a weapon for national defense to 'educate, inspire and strengthen the hearts and wills of free men in defense of their own freedom', Whitney worked for the Office of Strategic Services (predecessor of the CIA) during the war in 1967, his charity trust was exposed as a conduit of the CIA. This example - reflects the success of political aims of the international programs of MOMA. Illustrative of the governments problems were the 1956 art-show scandals of the USIAand the solution provided by MoMA. Home Essay Samples Arts & Culture Abstract Art Abstract Expressionism Art As A Weapon Of Cold War. The author of this book, which does not contain a single illustration (although the cover is a beautiful one), does not really focus on visual objects (paintings) but rather on texts (more precisely art-critical texts with strong philosophical underpinnings). ', " The functions of both the CIA's undercover aid operations and MOMA's international programs were similar. That might be true for Socialist Realist kitsch extolling the kolkhoz. Funded almost entirely by Rockefeller money and that of other American investors in Latin America Council advises the United States government on foreign policy. For example the State department refused to take responsibility for the United States representation at the Venice Biennale one of the most important of international-cultural-political art events all European countries, including the Soviet Union competed for cultural honors. Braden and his followers intelligent and sophisticated recognized that dissenting intellectuals who believe themselves to be acting freely could be useful tools in the international propaganda war. As a tastemaker in the sphere of contemporary American art, the impact of MoMAa major supporter of the Abstract Expressionist movementcan hardly be overestimated. In defense of his political cultural activities, Braden published an article Im Glad the CIA is Immoral, in the May 20, 1967 issue of Saturday Evening Post. Exhibition included a comprehensive catalog by prestigious Alfred H. Barr Jr. toured eight European countries 1958-59. The money was well spent, Braden asserted, because the Boston Symphony Orchestra won more acclaim for the U.S. in Paris than John Foster Dulles or Dwight D. Eisenhower could have bought with a hundred speeches. As this example suggests, CIAs purposes of supporting international intellectual and cultural activities were not limited to espionage or establishing contact with leading foreign intellectuals. Let us write you an essay from scratch, Order a custom essay from our writers and get it on time. The first was Cold War ideology and the second, entwined with it, was the cult of masculinity. 21 June issue of New York Times show had been planned as 'one of the most important exhibits of American painting ever sent abroad'. 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