Documents of Latin American and Latino Art

In this speech given by Manuel Álvarez Acosta at the opening of the Primera Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [First Inter-American Painting and Print Biennial] in 1958, the Mexican dramatist and cinematographer explained that one of the [...]

Regarding the exhibition and awards of the I Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [First Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking] (1958), the criticism by the journalist Socorro García is negative, especially with respect to the [...]

In this essay, Teresa del Conde traces the artistic evolution of Enrique Echeverría during the 1950s-1960s; during the years that an artistic renovation was occurring in Mexico. Del Conde explains how from the beginning Echeverría’s career was [...]

José Luis Cuevas was in Caracas when he received his invitation to the Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking] and he declined it when he learned of the control exerted by the members of the [...]

Both Jorge Juan Crespo de la Serna and Luis Cardoza y Aragón agreed that the deliberations of the International Jury’s Panel (which had established the parameters for awarding the prizes) for the Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [Inter- [...]

With regard to the events surrounding the first Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking], Juan O’Gorman published this article in response to the painter Cordelia Urueta. In a previous article [...]

Art critic Jorge Juan Crespo de la Serna believed that it was unfair to lodge harsh criticism against an international art competition like the first Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking], [...]

In a short article published on May 31, Miguel Álvarez Acosta, the director of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA), stated: “The fact that the best paintings by Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros did not appear in the Biennial was Carrillo Gil [...]

The Argentine art critic, Raquel Tibol, interviewed three painters, asking them for their opinions about the organization of the first Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking]. In order to have [...]

On the occasion of the first Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking, Miguel Salas Anzures, chair of the Visual Arts Department of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA), interviewed the art collectors Inés Amor and Dr. Alvar [...]

Art critic Rosa Castro asked three respected Mexican artists for their opinions on the Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking]. Raúl Anguiano felt that the biennial was the most important [...]

Elena Poniatowska spent time gathering opinions on the Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking. According to Octavio Paz, the four great masters of painting were Carlos Mérida, Rufino Tamayo, Wilfredo Lam, and Roberto Matta; he felt that [...]

The art critic Jorge Juan Crespo de la Serna was very disappointed that Rufino Tamayo had not participated in the Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking], and felt it was a capricious decision [...]

Art critic Ceferino Palencia identified the advantages of contests such as the one held within the context of the Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking. In the first place, he said, such contests gave painters the possibility of [...]

While he was in Paris, Rufino Tamayo received a second invitation to take part in the Mexican Biennial that was being organized by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA).This time, in an attempt to persuade him, Miguel Salas Anzures told him [...]

In this interview, David Alfaro Siqueiros expressed his views on the Biennial. He began by critiquing the paintings exhibited by the United States, and warned Latin American painters against imitating hybrid ideas that made no sense, such as Tachisme [...]

The author of this article states that Rufino Tamayo is the only one of de los Cuatro Grandes [the Big Four] who will not be taking part in the 1st Inter-American Biennial of Paintings and Prints in 1958. Before he left for Europe, Tamayo refused to [...]

Antonio Rodríguez Luna was invited to sit on the jury of the I Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [First Inter-American Biennial of Paintings and Prints] a few days after the exhibition opened. He was picked as the arbiter who would cast the [...]

The Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA) [National Institute of Fine Arts] discredited the exhibition of the “independents,” saying that it was for foreigners who were not invited because they were not Mexican nationals and also because [...]

Some painters who did not exhibit their work (or who were not selected to display their work) at the Bienal Intramericana de Pintura y Grabado [Inter-american Biennial of Painting and Printmaking] banded together and organized an exhibition that was [...]

Raquel Tibol interviewed Dr. Atl, who declared his total agreement with the organizers of the Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking], sponsored by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA [...]

Fausto Castillo interviewed Mr. Miguel Salas Anzures who—when asked about the accusation that he was spending a great deal of money on the first Bienal Interamericana de Pintura y Grabado [Inter-American Biennial of Painting and Printmaking], [...]