Arte moderno en el Museo Nacional de Colombia (1948-1963)

• Main Author: Alexandra Mesa Mendieta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad de Los Andes 2019-01-01
• Series: Hart
• Subjects: History of art; museums; Colombia; collecting; modern art; national art
• Online Access: https://revistas.uniandes.edu.co/doi/full/10.25025/hart04.2019.02

This article analyzes how, during the middle of the 20th century, the National Museum of Colombia acquired a significant collection of art. This acquisition was due to the state’s interest to reconcile identity discourses with diplomatic needs during the second postwar period, which was a moment of global readjustment. In 1948, this collection was located next to the official collections of archaeology, ethnography, and history; they were installed and opened to the public in a magnificent ancient fortress located in downtown Bogota. On the other hand, the activity of the museum was articulated with the development of current art in international circuits. In both ways, the museum forged a version of the history of Colombian art that would leave a trace on its collection.