Abstraction in Reverse: A Conversation with Alexander Alberro and James Meyer

Alexander Alberro, Virginia Bloedel Wright Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art History.Barnard College/Columbia University, and James Meyer, curator of art, 1945–1974, National Gallery of Art On June 10, 2018, at the National Gallery of Art, Alexander Alberro joined James Meyer to discuss the publication of Abstraction in Reverse: The Reconfigured Spectator in Mid-Twentieth-Century Latin American. Their conversation explores how Latin American art in the mid-20th century has shaped and reimagined the interconnection between art and its public, as well as the role of the spectator in the realization of the artwork. What was the relationship of 20th-century Latin American artists to the North American and European legacy? What significance did the art of Latin American artists have during this time? What role did both artist and public play in the process of creating the artwork? And to what extent did this movement evolve beyond South America?