In her presentation, the Mexican art critic Berta Taracena aims to provide the elements consistent with Latin American art previously observed and documented by art history, as well as by art critics. The author points out that the indigenous element is of utmost importance, also alleging this was considered a “negative factor” by most traditionalist Latin American art critics throughout the years. Most recently, she writes, the indigenous culture became a “positive” factor, as exemplified by Marta Traba. Taracena, who supports the recent school of thought, points to Rufino Tamayo as the paradigm of the indigenous element. She ends her presentation by enumerating a series of other elements that are also consistent and substantive to form and content regarding Latin American art and to the scholars and art critics.

The presentation made by the Mexican historian and art critic Berta Taracena (b. 1925) notably stands out by the particular and important issue it addresses: the prevailing elements of Latin American art, without stopping to generalize and debate, in the attempt to profile, define or identify this unique style of Latin American art. In a way, her interest was more in presenting a broad panorama of artists who expressed themselves through their respective perspectives and language while at the same time assessing and critiquing their art. 

The Primer Encuentro Iberoamericano de Críticos de Arte y Artistas Plásticos was held in 1978 at the Museo de Bellas Artes de Caracas. In addition to Berta Taracena, other colleagues and figures relevant to the art world who were in attendance included Jorge Alberto Manrique, Jorge Glusberg, Juan Acha [see doc. no. 815489], Julio Le Parc, Adelaida de Juan [doc. no. 815544], Carlos Rodríguez Saavedra, Jacqueline Barnitz, Marta Traba [doc. no. 815744], Antonio Berni, Galaor Carbonell, Marco Miliani, Alirio Rodríguez, Roberto Montero Castro [doc. no. 815631], Élida Román [doc. no. 815617], Ida Rodríguez Prampolini, Carlos Areán, Roberto Puntual and Aracy A. Amaral.

An important antecedent to the event was the “Austin Symposium” organized by Damián C. Bayón and the University of Texas at Austin, at the end of October, 1975. Many of the participants that attended the 1978 Primer Encuentro Iberoamericano de Críticos de Arte y Artistas Plásticos attended the symposium in Austin, which resulted as background for common discussion. The proceedings of the event were published in Venezuela by Damian C. Bayón (as a rapporteur) in El artista latinoamericano y su identidad (Caracas: Monte Ávila Editores, Colección Estudios, 1977; 150 pp. illustrated in black and white).

It is important to note the fact that though some of the presentations delivered during the gathering have subsequently been included in monographic or anthological compilations, they were all unpublished at the time of the 1978 event at the Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas. Due to this fact, these presentations are primary sources of great documentary value.