ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the cultural and social context of exhibitions in Austria that were promoted by the United States (U. S) in terms of whether or not these activities influenced the Austrian art scene, the population, or museum policies. In fact, several artists and galleries, like the Art Club or the Galerie nachst St. Stephan, developed an open and international discourse about the state of the visual arts. The reasons for an institutional lukewarm reception for contemporary art can be understood by what Schmid characterizes as "kulturelle Autarkie"; in addition, Austrian museums simply didn't have the financial means to promote art after the war. The chapter describes the efforts of the U. S, the Museum of Modern Art in New York in persuading Austrians to accept the U. S as a nation with cultural and spiritual, rather than purely materialistic, values. Primitive paintings were admired, for the popularity of American Primitive Painting in Austria had begun growing before the exhibit opened.
