Taking Venice

  • Documentary
10/19/2023
98

Storyline

At the height of the Cold War, the U.S. government is determined to fight Communism with culture. The Venice Biennale, the world's most influential art exhibition, becomes a proving ground in 1964. Alice Denney, Washington insider and friend of the Kennedys, recommends Alan Solomon, an ambitious curator making waves with trailblazing art, to organize the U.S. entry. Together with Leo Castelli, a powerful New York art dealer, they embark on a daring plan to make Robert Rauschenberg the winner of the Grand Prize.

Director:
Revenue:
$65,065

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      • Brent_Marchant

        Ever watch a movie that isnt what it should have been? Such is the case with writer-director Amei Wallachs third feature documentary, which is supposed to be an account of the US government-backed campaign to capture the grand prize for painting at the 1964 Venice Biennale, the worlds most influential art exhibition. The thinking behind this effort was to showcase the supposedly superior nature of the nations art and culture, one in a series of comparable American propaganda initiatives aimed at winning over the hearts and minds of the citizens of the world at the height of the Cold War. The plan here was to secure top honors for the works of artist Robert Rauschenbach (1925-2008), one of the most influential innovators of the emerging pop ...

        July 18, 2024

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