Panel

Art in America was founded one hundred years ago, in January, 1912 as a vehicle of national connoisseurship, offering historical and formal analysis of master works to American collectors. After WWII, the magazine regularly visited the question of “What is American” in art, architecture, and design. By 1963, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Emily Genauer declared “our art leads the world in its vigor, its unpredictability, and the swiftness with which it changes.” Among the changes spurred by the Vietnam War and the ever-growing integration of worldwide cultures and markets was a heightened regard among American critics for the ways that far-flung art activities became integrated into diverse global systems. Today, previous models of cultural identity and artistic purpose are in question, particularly given the burgeoning of contemporary art in locales outside the Euro-American orbit and the fluidity with which art and artists now circulate around the globe.

So who is an American artist today? Is national identity still meaningful, or have other constructs —ethnic, cultural, social—become more important? Who has the right to define American Art? Does regionalism still matter? Which has the greater impact on American art—”real world” politics or the cultural politics of the art world? What role do markets play in shaping whether artists are perceived as national or international?

Panel discussion moderated by Amei Wallach, art critic, film maker, past president International Art Critics Association/USA Chapter. Organized by Art in America, Amei Wallach, and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics.