Joaquin Barriendos

My research examines the history of so-called Latin American Art Studies, with an emphasis on twentieth-century Art Archives, Art Criticism, and Visual Culture. I work as Associate Researcher at UNAM and serve as Chief Curator of Proyecto Juan Acha, a nonprofit organization devoted to preserve, study, and disseminate the intellectual legacy of this Peruvian-Mexican art critic. Before UNAM, I was Assistant Professor of Latin American Cultural Studies at Columbia University, Associate Researcher at Universitat de Barcelona, Fellow Researcher at the Institute National d’Histoire de l’Art (Paris), and Visiting Researcher in the Program in Museum Studies, New York University. In addition to my academic activities, I have served as a member of diverse professional and curatorial organizations such as the International Association of Art Critics, the Executive Committee of the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS), and the Visual Culture in Europe Network. During the last decade, I have launched three online researching platforms, www.culturasvisualesglobales.net, the Permanent Seminar on Museum and Human Rights, and the Research Group on Art, Globalization, and Cross-Cultural Studies (Universitat de Barcelona).

Mi investigación se centra en la Historia del Arte y en los así llamados Estudios del Arte Latinoamericano, con un especial interés en la documentación artística, la crítica del arte y la cultura visual del siglo XX. Actualmente trabajo como investigador asociado de la UNAM y soy Curador en Jefe del Proyecto Juan Acha, una organización sin ánimo de lucro creada para preservar, investigar y difundir el legado intelectual de este crítico de arte peruano-mexicano. Antes de incorporarme a la UNAM fui Latin American Cultural Studies Assistant Professor en la Universidad de Columbia de Nueva York, Profesor Asociado en la Universidad de Barcelona, Investigador Invitado en el Institute National d’Histoire de l’Art (París), e Investigador Visitante en el Programa de Estudios de Museos de la Universidad de New York. Además de mis actividades académicas he sido miembro de la International Association of Art Critics, del Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS), y de la Visual Culture in Europe Network. En la última década promoví la creación de diferentes plataformas digitales de investigación, como el Grupo de Investigación en Arte, Globalización e Interculturalidad de la Universidad de Barcelona, el foro de discusión www.culturasvisualesglobales.net, o el Permanent Seminar on Museum and Human Rights.

Contributions

Conceiving a Theory for Latin America: Juan Acha’s Criticism.

2016 is the centenary of the birth of Juan Acha (1916–1995), the Peruvian-born, Mexican-naturalized Latin American art critic. Recent developments in the field of Latin American art history have led to a resurgence of interest in Acha’s critical contributions, and post here presents commissioned essays as well as primary documents translated into English for the first time.