the university of north carolina press fall-out shelters for the human spirit american art and the cold war jun 2005

[...]... rescued and put in the Museum of American History in 1962.∞∂ In the midst of the Great Depression of the 1930s came the boldest attempt to bring art and the government together With thousands of artists, actors, musicians, and writers out of work and the American people trying to cope with the disbelief and despair that accompanied the economic crash, the administration of Franklin D Roosevelt hit upon the. .. guardian of the ‘‘country of the soul.’’ What made it all the more significant for the American art community was the fact that American art not pale imitations of the European schools—would be in the vanguard of this cultural crusade Little did American artists realize, however, that they were not the only ones considering such matters Inside the Department of State, the role of art in war and peace... during the two and a half decades following the end of World War II, the Department of State, the usia, and even the Smithsonian Institution saw to it that hundreds of exhibitions of American paintings found their way to Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, and eventually into the heart of the communist bloc Requests for showings of American art, particularly modern art, flowed in from around the world... French art, the leadership of American art seemed apparent: ‘‘when one sees how much the level of American art has risen in the last five years then the conclusion forces itself, much to our own surprise, that the main premises of Western art have at last migrated to the United States.’’Ω It was a heady time for American art and artists Despite the gloom and pessimism created by World War II, the American. .. tendency in the art (and artists) associated with the fap Often citing the program as just another example of the New Deal’s ‘‘socialism,’’ these critics were not above suggesting that much of the fap artwork was, quite simply, communist propaganda.∞∑ As for art as part of the nation’s diplomacy, it had certainly come into use during World War I and World War II, largely in the form of propaganda posters... as an integral part of the defense of our civilization.’’∞ During the post–World War II period, the American government and American art world—followed Goodrich’s prescription and considered the relationship between government and art in ‘‘an entirely new light.’’ Recognizing both the power of art in terms of delivering political messages and the need to win the ‘‘hearts and minds’’ of the world’s people,... these works of art: from ‘‘radical’’ visions, celebrated and condemned with equal vigor in the early 1900s; to ‘‘traditional’’ paintings, far removed from the world of ‘‘modern’’ art and housed in the marble halls of the West Building of the National Gallery of Art; and now, in the first years of the twenty-first century, housed with the works of Pollock and Rothko the ‘‘radicals’’ of the 1940s and 1950s... international art program during the Cold War His call for ‘ fall-out shelters for the human spirit ’ illustrated the dilemma that both government o≈cials and supporters of the program in 2 INTRODUCTION the private sector faced For many art lovers across America—artists, museum directors and curators, gallery owners, private collectors, organizations and agencies dedicated to the arts—it was the ‘ human spirit ’... shape and meaning of that role, for many critics, artists, curators, and museum directors, it was enough that the federal government was showing an interest in cultural matters For its part, the Department of State was happy to use the expertise and connections a√orded by members of the American art scene in understanding the world of art Immediately following the war, the department, ably assisted and. .. Francisco Museum of Art, David Finley, director of the National Gallery of Art, Daniel Catton Rich, director of Fine Arts at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the artist Henry Varnum Poor III They were joined by Assistant Secretary MacLeish, Bryn J Hovde, who was chief of the Division of Cultural Cooperation, Margaret Garrett, acting chief of the iao, and the director of the American Council of Learned Societies, . alt="" FALL-OUT SHELTERS FOR THE HUMAN SPIRIT This page intentionally left blank FALL-OUT SHELTERS FOR THE HUMAN SPIRIT American Art and the Cold War michael l. krenn the university of north carolina. from the world of ‘‘modern’’ art and housed in the marble halls of the West Building of the National Gallery of Art; and now, in the first years of the twenty-first century, housed with the works of. a workable and e√ective international art program during the Cold War. His call for ‘ fall-out shelters for the human spirit ’ illustrated the di- lemma that both government o≈cials and supporters of the