Photographer, historian, and an art critic, Alfredo Boulton (1908−95) sends this correspondence to his friend, Venezuelan artist Alejandro Otero (1921−90). The letter is revealing, not only of the sincere friendship and respect between them but also of the critic’s realization on how autonomous the contemporary artist had become. Even so, the paternal affection that Boulton has for Otero obliges him to alert him on the dangers involving sudden changes, when these changes do not respond but to trendy eccentric demands. Specifically, Boulton does not agree with the Nouveau Réalisme contagion asserted by the artist; nevertheless, in a subsequent letter he shows admiration for the works exhibited in Caracas (Museo de Bellas Artes de Caracas, 1962), drawing attention to their pictorial value. In fact, Boulton’s incipient reservation will be combined to the manifested allegations, four years later, made by Marta Traba, causing a harsh controversy originating in Caracas, brought about by the article she wrote entitled “El arte latinoamericano, un falso apocalipsis” (1965), precisely denouncing Latin American artists for their attachment to European trends at the detriment of inquiries more in search of the expressive and creative needs of the continent.
This letter belongs to the selection compiled by Ariel Jiménez, He vivido por los ojos: correspondencia Alejandro Otero-Alfredo Boulton, 1946-1974, for the Fundación Museo de Alejandro Otero (Caracas: Fundación Alberto Vollmer/Museo Alejandro Otero, 2001), under the auspices of the Alberto Vollmer Foundation.