The expansion of the Argentine artistic field in the 1930s

Operations and practices within the country's "interior"

Abstract

In the 1930s of the 20th century, two conditions emerged that energized the artistic scene in the province of Buenos Aires. On one hand, the first official museums and art salons began to appear in cities in Buenos Aires. On the other hand, the National Directorate of Fine Arts and the National Museum of Fine Arts initiated artistic outreach programs that reached these and other localities. However, both the artistic development of the cities and the support from national organizations only served to expose the existing evaluations towards the emerging artistic fields in Buenos Aires. Instead of considering their novel formation and the limitations of municipal organizations, some artists and individuals from the capital highlighted the negative qualities inherent in this process. In this article, I aim, firstly, to present the programs promoted by national organizations and analyze the discussions that unfolded around them. Secondly, I outline some of the limitations encountered by provincial artists in integrating themselves into circles of artistic legitimacy and within their own cities, in order to complicate the position occupied by Buenos Aires artists in the context of the formation of local institutions.