In 1960 and a few months after having created the Centro de Arte del Instituto Torcuato Di Tella (ITDT) [Art Center of the Torcuato Di Tella Institute]—directed by a Council made up of Lionello Venturi, Ricardo Camino, Guido Di Tella and Jorge Romero Brest—the ITDT Prize was made possible. The purpose of this center was to cooperate in the diffusion and promotion of the visual arts, and to keep in contact with other centers connected with production at both a national and an international level. Within this context, the Premio ITDT [ITDT Prize] was created in order to provide an opportunity for young Argentinean artists to enrich their experience abroad; nevertheless, its creation did not just allow for the awarding of the grant-prize, but also it spurred the circulation of international art in the local arena, becoming an important reference point for the visual arts renaissance of the time. This prize was awarded to national or international artists, with some variation depending on the year in question, until 1967. Beginning that year, it changed its name and became Experiencias Visuales [Visual Practices], and then just Experiencias [Practices] in 1968 and 1969.
This document shows the reaction to the processes of renovation of artistic language promoted through the Torcuato Di Tella Institute Prize. It is interesting to note that Alfredo Roland had been present during the period of dissemination of abstraction in the 1950s. Nevertheless, faced with Informalism, he is of the opinion that a work of art should be constructed and made by the artist, even stating that whether it be at random, the colors or even the textures—when brought together without a creative intentionality—provide an aesthetic message without any long-lasting impact. That is, Roland understands that the lively gesture can be “expression” but not “art.”
