In 1876 the Sociedad Estímulo de Bellas Artes [Society for the Promotion of the Fine Arts] assumed responsibility for the organization and education of the arts. This arrangement survived until 1905 when, by municipal decree, the Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes [National Academy of Fine Arts] became the official agency charged with art education. That institution has remained thus engaged since, although in 1927, its name changed to Escuela de Artes Decorativas de la Nación [National School of Decorative Arts], and later became the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes Prilidiano Pueyrredón [National School of Fine Arts]. Although students had demanded changes in the syllabus, under the de facto government of Lieutenant General Alejandro Agustín Lanusse (1971–73), student unrest came to a head, provoking severely repressive measures from the authorities. La Opinión, the Argentine newspaper founded by Jacobo Timerman in 1971, was critical of the government and its actions. In 1977 it was closed and expropriated by the de facto regime of Lieutenant General Jorge Rafael Videla (1976–81). In turn, Hugo Monzón was an Argentine art critic; he was also the director of the Museo de Artes Plásticas [Museum of Visual Arts] Eduardo Sívori, and was in charge of the Visual Arts Section of La Opinión.
Talleres Totales [Interdisciplinary Workshops] was the name given to the group pedagogical experience introduced at the School of Architecture in Cordoba, Argentina. It was a joint teacher-student project that promoted the concept of self-criticism expressed through study groups. This article has been chosen because it documents the student protests at the Fine Arts Schools regarding, in particular, the syllabus.
