“This project focuses on the contributions of women in the artistic modernisation of Latin America. It examines the case of the IKA Salons and the American Art Biennials held in the City of Córdoba between 1962 and 1966. Specifically, the project will investigate the information found in the holdings of the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, which houses some of the works of the first biennial, held in 1962, and also hosted exhibitions such as Nuevos nombres del arte argentino, Pinturas y grabados chilenos de hoy [New Names in Argentine Art, Contemporary Chilean Paintings and Prints] and Artistas brasileños contemporáneos [Contemporary Brazilian Artists], with the participation of some of the same artists who took part in the IKA Salons and the American Art Biennials. The institute is also home to related works, documents and archives that will allow for a deeper investigation into these artists’ careers and bodies of work. The research project aims to contribute to a new reading of modern Argentine and Latin American art from a decentralised and inclusive perspective.
The salons and biennials promoted by Industrias Kaiser Argentina (IKA), in collaboration with the provincial government, the university, international organisations and diverse cultural stakeholders from different Latin American countries, had a significant impact on the 1960s art scene. They served as platforms for cultural policy and the legitimisation of modern art, in addition to fostering regional exchanges that gave visibility to new aesthetics, languages and actors.
Taking a cross-cutting and interdisciplinary approach, the project will involve working with the technical teams of the Moderno’s Conservation, Education, Curatorial and Archive departments. Results will include a final report with museographical and pedagogical proposals, as well as the systematisation of a documentary corpus that will provide a broader perspective of the historiography of Argentine and Latin American art.
This proposal is a continuation of a project that began in the Contemporary Argentine Art History Seminar, part of the coursework for the Technical Degree in Cultural Heritage Management at the Universidad Provincial de Córdoba. Recent related activities include a conversation held in 2024, together with researcher Cristina Rocca and curator Cecilia Irazusta, at the Museo Evita – Palacio Ferreyra, and the exhibition Dentro estando fuera. Mujeres en los salones y bienales IKA (1958-1966) [Inside from the Outside: Women in the IKA Salons and Biennials (1958–1966)], curated together with Juliana Bosio, Sol Bastos and Nilse Pérez within the framework of Colección IKA 1958-1966. Arte, cultura e industria [IKA Collection 1958-1966: Art, Culture and Industry], held at the Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes Emilio Caraffa.”
María Verónica Basile holds a doctorate in Latin American Social Studies and a degree in Social Communication from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC). She is a specialist in NGO management and in cultural management and policies and has completed both a doctoral and a postdoctoral fellowship at CONICET. Basile currently works as a professor at the Faculty of Art and Design at the Universidad Provincial de Córdoba, where she teaches Contemporary Argentine Art History as well as other courses related to history, the arts and cultural heritage. She also teaches at the graduate and postgraduate level at the Faculty of Social Sciences at UNC, and participates and leads different research teams that are institutionally endorsed and funded. At the UNC’s Centre for Advanced Studies, Basile is the deputy editor of the journal Estudios and a member of the Archivo de la Palabra y la Imagen team. Her studies focus on recent political, cultural and artistic processes, taking an interdisciplinary approach that combines history and other analytical perspectives. Basile also promotes outreach and extension activities. Her curatorial experience includes developing, together with Juliana Bosio, Sol Bastos and Nilse Pérez, the exhibition Dentro estando fuera. Mujeres en los salones y bienales IKA (1958-1966) [Inside from the Outside: Women in the IKA Salons and Biennials (1958–1966)], at the Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes Emilio Caraffa.