0180 Ludwig Grote und die Moderne 1933-1959

Paradigma einer Internationalisierung

Abstract

The activities of German art historian Ludwig Grote (1893-1974) illuminate how cultural policy was influenced by the interaction of scholarly studies, people’s simple need to make ends meet during WWII, and the predominant promotion of certain artistic positions immediately after the war. Grote’s work should be considered in the context of recent counter-currents in the area of epistemology which try to rethink the way history has been written in the past and to reappraise German and international avant-garde art of the 1950s. By looking at Grote’s efforts for internationalization, which can be traced back through his active involvement with art in and from Brazil, this article sheds light on the problematic relationship between established narratives of Modernism and the diverse archival layers of information accessible today. Thus this discussion aims at contributing to the debate on the different perspectives necessary when writing art history today while doing justice to the transcultural aspect.