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This conference examines the artistic relations between Portugal and the US in the complex climate of the Cold War and the transition from Salazar's dictatorship to democracy. The intersections between the Portuguese and US art worlds in this period have rarely been examined. Portuguese audiences had limited access to US art during this time, as the first exhibition of US art shown in Lisbon only took place in the late 1970s. Throughout Salazar's dictatorship, information about US art often reached audiences via exhibitions and networks in other European countries, especially England, France and Spain. One aim of the conference is to evaluate the different means by which Portuguese artists, critics, curators and wider audiences discovered and engaged with US art. Invited scholars and critics will offer first-hand insights into the challenges of studying and writing about US art during the late Cold War period. In addition, scholars will discuss the exhibition reviews that shaped the Portuguese perceptions of US art. They will examine the impact of US artists and movements on Portuguese art practice and tease out parallels and affinities between the artists of the two countries. 

The conference is organised by Pedro Lapa (ARTIS, School of Arts And Humanities, University of Lisbon) and Sofia Nunes (IHA/NOVA FCSH) in collaboration with Claudia Hopkins (Durham University) with generous funding from the Terra Foundation for American Art and the support of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
 

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