The critical reception of Spanish contemporary art. 1974-1982

This paper examines the critical reception of Spanish contemporary art in the English-speaking world between 1974 and 1982. It examines how the lasting impact of Franco’s cultural diplomacy efforts in the 1950s and 1960s, which promoted in particular the Spanish abstract and Informalist artists, co...

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Main Author: Sarah Crozier
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad Complutense de Madrid 2025-05-01
Series:Arte, Individuo y Sociedad
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/ARIS/article/view/98894
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author Sarah Crozier
author_facet Sarah Crozier
author_sort Sarah Crozier
collection DOAJ
description This paper examines the critical reception of Spanish contemporary art in the English-speaking world between 1974 and 1982. It examines how the lasting impact of Franco’s cultural diplomacy efforts in the 1950s and 1960s, which promoted in particular the Spanish abstract and Informalist artists, connecting them to a specific conception of Spanishness and the artists of the Spanish golden age, left English-speaking publics with certain preconceptions about Spanish art. This, combined with a lack of understanding of the Spanish socio-political context during the transition to democracy, negatively affected the reception of later artistic movements. The paper is based on a close reading of contemporaneous primary sources – principally exhibition reviews in newspapers and specialist art magazines – and is centred around four case studies, including the 1976 Venice Biennale and major touring exhibitions in the United Kingdom and the United States.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1988-2408
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publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Universidad Complutense de Madrid
record_format Article
series Arte, Individuo y Sociedad
spelling doaj-art-904ed2de2b4e44eea3ac130b2e0468b42025-08-20T03:52:47ZengUniversidad Complutense de MadridArte, Individuo y Sociedad1988-24082025-05-01Avance en línea10.5209/aris.98894The critical reception of Spanish contemporary art. 1974-1982Sarah Crozier0Manchester Metropolitan University This paper examines the critical reception of Spanish contemporary art in the English-speaking world between 1974 and 1982. It examines how the lasting impact of Franco’s cultural diplomacy efforts in the 1950s and 1960s, which promoted in particular the Spanish abstract and Informalist artists, connecting them to a specific conception of Spanishness and the artists of the Spanish golden age, left English-speaking publics with certain preconceptions about Spanish art. This, combined with a lack of understanding of the Spanish socio-political context during the transition to democracy, negatively affected the reception of later artistic movements. The paper is based on a close reading of contemporaneous primary sources – principally exhibition reviews in newspapers and specialist art magazines – and is centred around four case studies, including the 1976 Venice Biennale and major touring exhibitions in the United Kingdom and the United States. https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/ARIS/article/view/98894Cultural diplomacySpanish contemporary artart criticismcritical reception
spellingShingle Sarah Crozier
The critical reception of Spanish contemporary art. 1974-1982
Arte, Individuo y Sociedad
Cultural diplomacy
Spanish contemporary art
art criticism
critical reception
title The critical reception of Spanish contemporary art. 1974-1982
title_full The critical reception of Spanish contemporary art. 1974-1982
title_fullStr The critical reception of Spanish contemporary art. 1974-1982
title_full_unstemmed The critical reception of Spanish contemporary art. 1974-1982
title_short The critical reception of Spanish contemporary art. 1974-1982
title_sort critical reception of spanish contemporary art 1974 1982
topic Cultural diplomacy
Spanish contemporary art
art criticism
critical reception
url https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/ARIS/article/view/98894
work_keys_str_mv AT sarahcrozier thecriticalreceptionofspanishcontemporaryart19741982
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