ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the mobility and visibility of the works of art as interventionist instruments which underscore the challenging role of artistic production when it is integrated into propaganda programmes or dominant readings of cultural and artistic identity. It presents the period from mid-1950s to the late 1970s, after the revolution that would put an end to the totalitarian regime in Portugal. Although the Portuguese regime and modern artists travelled parallel routes towards internationalisation, they were in fact moving in opposite directions. After recognising the urgency of claiming a place in Western politics, the Portuguese regime immediately turned to the country’s centuries-old ally, the United Kingdom. There, Portugal hoped to find the desired international stage required for its new diplomatic opening up. By contrast, Jorge Vieira’s works connected Portugal to contemporary times, defining a new monumentality for Portuguese sculpture that was neither historical, nor celebrative, nor even representative or evocative.
