Kemper Art Museum Examines Buenos Aires Modernism and the Role of Exiles, 1935–1950
The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis is currently featuring an exhibition titled Buenos Aires Modern, 1935–1950. This is the first display in the U.S. that highlights the vibrant artistic scene of locals, exiles, and immigrants in Buenos Aires during the early 20th century. Starting in the late 1930s, many European artists and refugees began arriving in the city, fleeing crises like the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the Holocaust. One notable figure is Grete Stern, a German Jewish photographer from the Bauhaus, who escaped Germany in 1933. She settled in Buenos Aires with her husband, Horacio Coppola, in 1935, representing the cultural ties formed in that period. The exhibition explores the impact of these exiles on Argentina's modernism.
Key facts
- The Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis presents Buenos Aires Modern, 1935–1950.
- It is the first exhibition in the United States to examine the cross-disciplinary artistic community of locals, exiles, and immigrants in Buenos Aires during the early twentieth century.
- European artists, exiles, and refugees began arriving in Buenos Aires in vast numbers in the late 1930s.
- They fled oppression from the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the Holocaust.
- Grete Stern was a German Jewish photographer and graphic designer who trained at the Bauhaus.
- Stern was forced to flee Germany in 1933.
- She married Argentine photographer Horacio Coppola, and they permanently settled in Buenos Aires in 1935.
- Their marriage and artistic collaboration is emblematic of the alliances formed across Argentine and European cultures.
Entities
Artists
- Grete Stern
- Horacio Coppola
Institutions
- Kemper Art Museum
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Bauhaus
Locations
- Buenos Aires
- Argentina
- St. Louis
- United States
- Germany
- Europe