Tradition and Collaboration between the Avant-Garde and Francoism (1940 to 1960)

Abstract

Abstract The 1950s saw an intense collaboration process take place in Spain between the totalitarian government of General Franco and a significant part of the avant-garde artistic scene. Although there are a number of causes for this complex process, it is worth highlighting the role given to a supposed “anti-modern” myth of Spanish culture—symbolized in the Baroque and spiritual transcendence—which was seen as the glue that would bind and unify artistic and political action to benefit all those involved.