Conference Examines Postwar Internationalism in Art Institutions Beyond Western Centers

Back in March 2017, the Graduate Center at CUNY, along with the Museum of Modern Art, organized a conference named Art, Institutions, and Internationalism. The event explored how internationalism—a concept centered on cooperation among countries—shaped art's creation, exhibition, and distribution during the mid-20th century, particularly outside Europe and North America. It made a clear distinction between internationalism, linked to nation-states, and globalization, which became more significant with free trade and financial deregulation in the 1970s. This shift has led to terms like global warming and global war on terror becoming more common, overshadowing internationalism. A report summarizing the conference, by Chelsea Haines and Gemma Sharpe, was published on June 18, 2019, and is partially available through MIT Press.