The magazine Ver y estimar [See and Ponder] was a publishing project directed by Jorge Romero Brest (1905–1989), working with followers who had taken art history courses with him. The project began after he was dismissed from his position as a professor by the authorities under the first administration of Juan Domingo Perón (1895–1974), which ran from 1946 to 1955. This publishing project stimulated critical thought and disseminated a renewal of artistic languages, based on the director’s point of view, in support of modernization. Thirty-four issues were published between April 1948 and December 1953. After an interruption that lasted a few months, ten more issues were published in a second period, which ended in October 1955. The editor-in-chief was Damián Carlos Bayón (1915–95). As one of Romero Brest’s followers, Blanca Stábile (1911–91) wrote art criticism for Ver y estimar, as well as served on its editorial board. In 1958, Stábile became director of the National Office for the Protection and Security of Women at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, under the democratic administration of Arturo Frondizi (1958–62). She was later appointed Argentine ambassador to the United Nations (UN).Gyula Kosice (b. 1924), who was born in the city of Kosice (in what is now called Slovakia), created all his artwork in Argentina, where he lives and works to this day. He was coeditor of the journal, Arturo (1944), and a member of grupo Madí [Madí Group] starting in the 1940s. His work incorporates new materials, based on his experimentation with Plexiglas, glass, and fluorescent tubes. Later, he became interested in kinetic effects, to which he added the use of water. Tomás Maldonado (b. 1922) is an Argentine painter, designer, and thinker who worked with a group on Arturo. He was a founding member of the Asociación Arte Concreto—Invención [Concrete Art and Invention Association] and served as editor of the magazine, nueva visión [new vision]. In 1954, he traveled to Germany, where he was a professor at the Hochschule für Gestaltung [School of Design] in Ulm and established by Max Bill. Today, he lives and works in Italy and is the author of numerous books.This source was selected because of the writer’s interest in the historical record on concrete art in Argentina; it also corrects interpretations and adds explanations by the artists involved. This document is related to other documents, including: “Esbozo de una historia del arte abstracto” [Outline of the History of Abstract Art] (doc. no. 742821), “Sección diálogo con nuestros lectores: estimada señora Blanca Stábile” [Dialogue with our readers section: Dear Mrs. Blanca Stábile] in two issues, (doc. no. 770305), and (doc. no. 742742), among many others.
