In this letter published in the Lima-based newspaper La Prensa, a group of Peruvian visual artists expresses its opposition to the selection of folk art representing Peru at the twenty-fourth São Paulo Biennial held in 1977. The artists object to the way the Peruvian Instituto Nacional de Cultura (INC) went about organizing the participation; they argue that works of this sort “serve only to provide more complete knowledge of the cultural reality of participating countries,” but should not “replace painting, sculpture, and prints.” The signers accuse individuals involved in the INC decision of an “inept” and “irresponsible” attitude detrimental to Peruvian art.

This letter published in the Lima-based newspaper La Prensa on October 12, 1977, openly opposes the decision to send “crafts” to the 1977 São Paulo Biennial. The letter was signed by, among others, Francisco Abril de Vivero (1919–2004), Alberto Dávila (1912–88), and Milner Cajahuaringa (1932–2017)—all of whom opposed the prize granted to Joaquín López Antay. Francisco Abril de Vivero was probably the one behind the letter.

The sole representation of Peru at the twenty-fourth São Paulo Biennial (1977) was a selection of folk art. The background for the decision was an invitation from the organizing committee of the biennial; Peru was asked to participate in the “anthological exhibitions” section—one of the three sections of the biennial. According to its bylaws, the aim of this section was to show work that “valorized a cultural/artistic past” whether through the production of a single artist or works representative of a certain tendency, period, or place” [XIV Bienal Internacional de São Paulo (São Paulo: Prefeitura do Municipio, Governo do Estado, Governo Federal, 1977), 3, 8]. In Peru, it was believed that the character of the work selected had been determined by the Peruvian Instituto Nacional de Cultura (INC)—an assessment that revived a polemic that ensued in late 1975 when the INC granted the Premio Nacional de Cultura [award] for art to altarpiece maker Joaquín López Antay (1897–1981). The decision on what work to send to the São Paulo Biennial led a group of artists of “high” art—or artists with more access to the art market—to protest on the grounds that “crafts” were not valid as art and that the INC was stifling the development of true art.

[On the event in São Paulo, see the following articles in the ICAA digital archive: by Leslie Lee “Perú: a presença da arte popular” (doc. no. 857190); by Francisco Abril de Vivero “Populismo inframarxista” (doc. no. 855232) and “¿Autenticidad o exotismo?” (doc. no. 855918); by Ismael Pinto “Humillados y ofendidos” (doc. no. 855252); by Jorge Caillaux “El Perú en la Bienal de São Paulo” (doc. no. 855937); by Alfonso de la Torre [Seymour] “Arte popular peruano en São Paulo” (doc. no. 855899); (unsigned) “Presidente de Bienal de São Paulo elogia participación peruana” (doc. no. 855956); and (unsigned) “Arte popular do Peru: 14a. Bienal Internacional de São Paulo ‘77” (doc. no. 857172)].