Documents of Latin American and Latino Art

This article is a review of the Premio Torcuato Di Tella 1966 [The Torcuato Di Tella Prize of 1966]; it describes the panorama and points out that on this occasion the Pop artists have rediscovered the attitude of creation; within it the personal is [...]

León Ferrari writes a detailed evaluation of Tucumán Arde [Tucumán is Burning], framing it within the previous events (Itinerario del ’68) [Timetable for 1968]. In it he points out that “its purpose was to make art into a revolutionary tool, [...]

León Ferrari sketches his idea for the Christ mounted on a fighter jet for the piece he submitted to the Torcuato Di Tella Institute’s 1965 National and International Prize. This work would be known as Civilización Occidental y Cristiana [Western [...]

Jorge Romero Brest points out that in the Experiencias 1968 [1968 Practices], young artists tried to raise the problem of creation in terms that were almost extreme, presenting crucial situations that depart from traditional “artwork” only by a [...]

This resource contains the discussion between the members of the jury for the Premio Nacional e Internacional Torcuato Di Tella [National and International Prize Torcuato Di Tella] 1962. After long deliberations, this jury—consisting of Giulio [...]

León Ferrari notes that he has not produced any other works since the Torcuato Di Tella Institute’s 1965 National and International Prize. Ferrari explains that he has been busy working on his book, Palabras ajenas [Other People’s Words], which [...]

Lawrence Oliver expresses his opinion here on Jorge Romero Brest’s methods at the Premio Torcuato Di Tella [Torcuato Di Tella Prize], specifically in terms of the support provided to the most talented artists that enabled them to present works they [...]

León Ferrari prepares a sketch to send to theTorcuato Di Tella Institute’s 1965 National and International Prize [...]

The members of the jury assigned to participate in the 1964 Instituto Torcuato Di Tella Prize, Jorge Romero Brest, Clement Greenberg, and Pierre Restany have decided to grant the International Prize to Kenneth Noland, and also recommended the [...]

The jury for the 1966 Premio Internacional Instituto Torcuato Di Tella [Instituto Torcuato Di Tella International Prize], composed of Lawrence Alloway, Otto Hahn and Jorge Romero Brest, awarded the first prize to Susana Salgado, second prize to [...]

The jury for the Premio Internacional Instituto Torcuato Di Tella 1965 [1965 Instituto Torcuato Di Tella International Prize], which consisted of Giulio Carlo Argan, Alan Bowness, and Jorge Romero Brest, voted to purchase Cuatro Habitaciones [Four [...]

The jurors designated to act on the Argentinean Painters Prize of the Torcuato Di Tella Institute, Jorge Romero-Brest and Lionello Venturi, unanimously decide to grant the prize to Mario Pucciarelli for his work De profundis [Out of the Depths of [...]

In his double function as director of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes [National Museum of Fine Arts] and art consultant of the Fundación Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires, Jorge Romero-Brest wrote the prologue for the Argentinean Painters Prize [...]

Jorge Romero Brest writes that the jury he was a member of awarded Rómulo Macció the International Prize from the Instituto Torcuato Di Tella (1964), in which he distinguished himself from among the works of foreign artists. By the way and in overt [...]

Samuel Paz wrote this letter to Jorge Romero Brest while the former was in Paris. It refers to the details of the negotiations with different galleries to secure the works for the Premio Torcuato Di Tella 1967 [1967 Torcuato Di Tella Prize]. Paz [...]

Rafael Alberti, the poet, mentions León Ferrari’s Vietnam War pieces, and savors the irony of a possible exhibition of those political works at the Torcuato Di Tella Institute. He tells Ferrari how an artist should react, at a political level, vis [...]

This is a letter Samuel Paz wrote in New York to Jorge Romero Brest, in which he provides the details regarding the negotiations with different galleries undertaken to obtain works that would participate in the Premio Torcuato Di Tella 1967. [The [...]

This study signed by Juan Carlos Distéfano,Francisco Kröpfl, Fernando von Reichenbach and Humberto Rivas sets forth objectives and a structural schematic. It likewise makes projections on budgets as well as the infrastructure necessary for the [...]

Jorge Romero Brest writes to Enio Iommi inviting him to participate in the Torcuato Di Tella Institute Prize (1962 edition), enclosing the rules. In addition, he informs him that he will be able to apply for the National Prize (and eventually for the [...]

After receiving a telegram about the exhibition in the Torcuato Di Tella Institute, Alicia Penalba communicates her agreement to the terms therein to Jorge Romero Brest, although she believes that precautions must be taken due to the political [...]

After being invited to participate in the Torcuato Di Tella National Prize (Buenos Aires), the artist Claudio Girola sends this letter from Chile to Jorge Romero Brest thanking him for his inclusion but declining the invitation for personal reasons [...]

Argentinean art critic Rafael Squirru, then general director of cultural relations at the Foireign Office of Argentina responds to the survey sent by Jorge Romero Brest regarding both the means for and the actual selection of the artists for the 1962 [...]

Jorge Romero Brest writes to art critic Rafael Squirru, then general director of cultural relations at the Foreign Office of Argentina informing him about the new format for the Torcuato Di Tella Institute Prize. This will include works by national [...]

The Argentinean art critic Cayetano Córdova Iturburu responds to the survey sent by Jorge Romero Brest in regards to both to the means for and the actual selection of the artists for the 1962 Torcuato Di Tella Institute Prize. The critic proposes to [...]

After receiving the invitation to participate in the Torcuato Di Tella Institute Prize (Buenos Aires), Enio Iommi sends this letter to Enrique Oteiza telling him his personal reasons why he will not able to participate. According to his ethical [...]

Alicia Penalba writes that, despite being honored by the invitation, she must decline to participate due to several problems: the art collector who was going to lend works for the exhibiton urgently needs to install them in his garden and the other [...]

The letter sent by artist Nicolás Rubió to Samuel Paz expresses his dissatisfaction due to the impossibility of carrying out Operación corpiño [The Bra Operation], an action that consisted of depositing a collection of bras and panties at the [...]

Rafael Alberti comments on León Ferrari’s work, on photographs he sent him regarding the Vietnam War. He transcribes his poem “Vietnam.” Ironic comments about León Ferrari’s political work’s possible exhibition at Instituto Torcuato Di [...]

This document is a letter from Samuel Paz to Jorge Romero Brest, who was visiting the United States at that time. It reports the steps taken to attain the participation of artists Kenneth Noland, Morris Louis, Pol Bury and Mark Brusse for the Premio [...]

Rafael Alberti discusses the controversy that erupted over León Ferrari’s exhibition at theTorcuato Di Tella Institute in response to critical reviews regarding the political nature of the works involved. The poet goes on to talk about Anticolo [...]

This letter by León Ferrari responds to the concepts raised by Ernesto Ramallo in the article “Los artistas argentinos en el Premio Di Tella 1965” [The Argentinean Artists in the Premio Di Tella 1965] published in the newspaper La Prensa [The [...]

León Ferrari’s letter states that, after he exhibited some works whose content condemned the United States intervention in Vietnam, the newspaper La Prensa [The Press] accused him of being “communist.” Consequently he wrote his response that [...]

In this correspondence, E. de Wilde reports on his arrival in Buenos Aires, having departed from São Paulo (Brazil); it also offers some information regarding the reservation of passages for him and his wife [...]

León Ferrari discusses certain aspects of the press coverage of his book, Palabras ajenas [Other People’s Words]. He writes about the artistic milieu and the controversy stirred up by artists in response to the Torcuato Di Tella Institute’s [...]

This is a letter sent by Jorge Romero Brest to E. de Wilde, Director of the Stedelijk Museum [City Museum] of Amsterdam in which he explains that, although he regrets their disagreement, the Instituto Torcuato Di Tella does not disclose beforehand [...]

This letter, addressed to Alfredo Rodríguez Arias, invites him to participate in Experiencias 1968 [The 1968 Practices]. It states that 60,000 Argentinean pesos would be provided to realize the experience. It likewise stipulates that letters [...]

Pablo Suarez’s letter is defined as a work of art. It is, at the same time, a quit of his participation in the exhibition, which he handed out to the attending public at the Experiencias 1968 [The 1968 Visual Practices]. The author starts by [...]

León Ferrari writes to Leopoldo Maler about the London stage production of Palabras ajenas [Other People’s Words]. He discusses the polyphonic work involving the various texts in the book, and talks about the economic situation and the student [...]

This document is a letter written by Enrique Oteiza, in his function as director of the Instituto Torcuato Di Tella [Torcuato Di Tella Institute], to the Editor–in-Chief of the newspaper Clarín [Bugle], Oscar Camilión. In it he expresses his [...]

León Ferrari writes to Leopoldo Maler about the London stage production of his book, Palabras ajenas [Other People’s Words].  He agrees to the new title of the English version, Listen Here Now, while proposing that it include the word “Vietnam [...]

This document is a letter written by Roberto Cortés Conde, who succeeded engineer Enrique Oteiza as Director of the Instituto Torcuato di Tella [Torcuato Di Tella Institute]. (Buenos Aires); it is addressed to Samuel Paz and, in accordance with the [...]

León Ferrari outlines his involvement in the Braque Drawing Prize and develops several sketches to be sent to the Torcuato Di Tella Institute’s 1965 National and International Prize [...]

This pamphlet critiques the Instituto Torcuato di Tellas’s “Experiencias 68” [1968 Practices] in an ironic tone. The text substitutes the name “Experiencias Visuales” [Visual Practices] for “Sexual Practices” and mocks all of the works [...]

This text introduces the conferences organized by Eduardo González Lanuza at Galería PROAR. His intention is not to speak from an aesthetic point of view on La Menesunda [Hodgepodge] but rather of Jorge Romero Brest’s conference held on June 11 [...]

In his function as the Secretary General of the Instituto Torcuato Di Tella [Torcuato Di Tella Institute], Mario T. Marzana, communicates to the aforementioned institution’s personnel the proceedings that led to the closure of Roberto Plate’s [...]

Within the framework of the dizzying changes taking place in the everyday life of Argentineans at that time, the article reports on the reaction provoked by La Menesunda [Hodgepodge]. After describing some of the viewers’ opinions, it mentions the [...]

This United States academic journal disseminates the translation of the Cronología [Chronology] prepared by the artists reporting on the events that occurred throughout 1968, as well as other documents of their timetable, although with modified [...]

This is from the catalogue of the Nuevo Arte de la Argentina [New Art of Argentina] exhibition (Buenos Aires: Instituto Torcuato Di Tella, February 18 through March 8, 1964). The document explains that the goal of the exhibition was to present, in [...]

This prescient op-ed takes the events at the 1968 Braque Prize (sponsored by the French embassy in Argentina) as a starting point and uses them to arrive at the conclusion that the finest artwork was the “uproar” that occurred due to the [...]

Hugo Parpagnoli recounts the public controversy provoked by the Premio Di Tella awarded to the works of Luis Felipe Noé and Rómulo Macció, both members of the group Otra Figuración [Other Figuration]. Parpagnoli reflects that these works were [...]