The Premio Instituto Torcuato Di Tella [Torcuato Di Tella Institute Prize] was established in 1960, a few months after the opening of the Centro de Arte del Instituto Torcuato Di Tella (ITDT) [Instituto Torcuato Di Tella Center for the Arts], whose board members included Lionello Venturi, Ricardo Camino, Guido Di Tella, and Jorge Romero Brest (1905–89). The goal of the center was to aid in the exposure and promotion of the visual arts, and to stay in touch with other art centers, locally and abroad. The ITDT Prize was conceived as a way to give young Argentine artists a chance to broaden their horizons overseas; in addition to granting the prize/scholarship, it also introduced international art at the local milieu, thereby becoming a significant catalyst for the renewal of contemporary expression. Until 1967, the prize was given to both local and international artists, with a few exceptions. It later became known as Experiencias Visuales [Visual Happenings], and was called simply Experiencias [Happenings] in 1968 and 1969. In 1963, Romero Brest resigned from the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes [National Museum of Fine Arts] and accepted the position of director of the Centro de Artes Visuales del ITDT [ITDT Visual Arts Center]. In 1964, the ITDT Prize was both national and international, and was judged by a jury that included Clement Greenberg, Pierre Restany, and Jorge Romero Brest. This document reveals some of the inner workings of the Torcuato Di Tella Prize, especially in regard to the continuation of the international contest which created a framework within which to introduce the work of contemporary, innovative foreign artists, and to involve local artists in the prize. The jury lineup also reveals a desire to introduce noted international critics and directors of institutions to Argentine cultural circles.
