Art and politics during the Cold War

Spain has taken part in thirty-four editions of the São Paulo Biennial, since its inception in 1951 until its most recent edition in 2023. A review of Spanish representation at the Biennial shows us how the country has continued to evolve artistically since the second half of the 20th century. During the Franco dictatorship, the Spanish pavilion became an unparalleled propaganda tool, notwithstanding the fact that many of its works were critical of the regime itself. With the transition to democracy, the works selected to represent Spain could look back on the country’s more immediate past, while gradually opening up to the most innovative artistic trends. From 1953 to 1975, all the editions had a Spanish prizewinner, whether in painting, sculpture, printmaking or drawing. There is an interesting point for reflection here: how the prizes were chosen, how much influence the juries’ artistic criteria bore on the magnitude of political negotiation on the part of the different states so that the respective countries would receive recognition. The figure of Luis González Robles, a civil servant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will be essential to ensuring that Spain’s official representation always received some form of recognition from the juries.