The Salón Nacional de Artes Plásticas [National Salon for the Visual Arts] of Argentina was founded in 1911; its regulations varied over time, depending on the needs of the moment. The Salón Nacional for the years 1968 and 1969 included a section called “Visual Arts Research.” The category sought to include the new formats of experimental art (kinetic objects, Pop art, and the like). In 1970 and 1971, it led to the implementation of Certamen Anual de Investigaciones Visuales.
The Certamen Nacional de Investigaciones Visuales—which was held during the de facto government of General Alejandro Agustín Lanusse (1971-73)—resulted in the censorship of the artworks that had won the Grand Prize and the First Prize. By means of Executive Order 5696/71, the authorities excluded those prize-winning works from the exhibition, stating they were “not accepted” due to their “manifest ideological intent.” Thus they declared the grand and first prizes awarded by the jury null and void. These deeds fostered the repudiation of artists as well as some cultural organizations, and gave rise to various legal actions.
Alberto Heredia (Buenos Aires 1924–2000) was a self-taught sculptor. Between 1948 and 1952, he produced figurative sculptures, but afterward he joined the geometric trend. Later he began incorporating discarded materials to create works of grotesque drama that expressed sharp social critique.
This article was selected because it documents the reaction of one of the prize-winning artists to the authorities’ arbitrary decision during the Certamen.