ABSTRACT
The conservative principles that guided Latin American societies in the nineteenth century were challenged by political, social, and cultural events occurring in the Americas and Europe at the turn of the twentieth century. Inspired by the European avant-garde movements, artists from various Latin American and Caribbean countries developed innovative styles that shaped their work and therefore their interpretation of their historical realities. This chapter introduces major artistic “Modern” movements developed in twentieth-century Latin America and by artists from Latin America working in Europe through a detailed analysis of selected iconic works that illustrate their contributions, not only to art history but also to their specific sociopolitical contexts.
