Understood chiefly as the stark backdrop for neorealist cinema or a glamorous playground for the international jet set, postwar Rome tends to be sidelined in artistic narratives of this period, despite the energetic activity of international artists pursuing cutting-edge practice in diverse media – painting and sculpture as well as cinema, experimental music, conceptual art, and literature. A principal site of international exchange was the Rome-New York Art Foundation, which between 1957 and 1961 hosted nine exhibitions that not only played a decisive role in the diffusion of American art in Europe, but also catalyzed an international, universalizing spirit in contemporary art largely eclipsed by the triumph of American Pop Art at the Venice Biennale in 1964. This is the second of two research seminars in which international scholars will consider various aspects of artistic production, exhibition and exchange in Rome during this vibrant period.

Speakers at the second session include: Deepak Ananth, David Anfam, Fabio Belloni, Jacopo Benci, Christopher Bennett, FAAR’06, Davide Colombo, Barbara Drudi, Romy Golan, Antonella Greco, Lindsay Harris, Manuela Mariani, Ara Merjian, Sylvia Metz, Jed Perl, Aldo Tagliaferri, and Riccardo Venturi. Papers will be given in English and in Italian. Participation by invitation only. Contact: Peter Benson Miller, American Academy in Rome.

The research seminar is organized by the American Academy in Rome and the Terra Foundation for American Art.