Engaged in an undertaking of the highest artistic culture: two projects for a South American Academy in Rome (1897-1911)

Abstract

This paper revolves around two projects that involved artistic and diplomatic relationships between Italy (Rome in particular) and South America (especially Argentina) at the turn of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. On one hand, I seek to contribute to the discussion about Rome as cultural capital: as ascertained by recent studies, it never really lost its attraction, neither as a place to visit nor as a place of artistic education. On the other hand, I propose an additional perspective about the Argentinian system of art consolidation process. Buenos Aires did not have a national academy of fine arts until 1905, but in 1897 the Government constituted the National Commission of Fine Arts with the aim of regulating the flow of young artists who left annually to Europe (they were taken under control by the national Patronage of pensionnaires just in 1909).