Fall-Out Shelters for the Human Spirit
American Art and the Cold War
Michael L. Krenn
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Published: 03/2006
Pages: 312
Subject: Political Science, History, Art
| University of North Carolina
Print ISBN: 9.78E+12
eBook ISBN: 9780807876411
DESCRIPTION
The Department of State, then the United States Information Agency, and eventually the Smithsonian Institution directed this effort, relying heavily on the assistance of major American art organizations, museums, curators, and artists. What the government hoped to accomplish and what the art community had in mind, however, were often at odds. Intense domestic controversies resulted, particularly when the effort involved modern or abstract expressionist art. Ultimately, the exhibition of American art overseas was one of the most controversial Cold War initiatives undertaken by the United States. Krenn's investigation deepens our understanding of the cultural dimensions of America's postwar diplomacy and explores how unexpected elements of the Cold War led to a redefinition of what is, and is not, "American."
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