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ModernartwasCIA'weapon'
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Revealed:howthespyagencyusedunwittingartistssuchasPollockandde
KooninginaculturalColdWar
BY FRANCES STONOR SAUNDERS
MostShared
Fordecadesinartcirclesitwaseitherarumourorajoke,but
nowitisconfirmedasafact.TheCentralIntelligenceAgency
usedAmericanmodernartincludingtheworksofsuchartists
asJacksonPollock,RobertMotherwell,WillemdeKooningand
MarkRothkoasaweaponintheColdWar.Inthemannerofa
RenaissanceprinceexceptthatitactedsecretlytheCIA
fosteredandpromotedAmericanAbstractExpressionistpainting
aroundtheworldformorethan20years.
Theconnectionisimprobable.Thiswasaperiod,inthe1950s
and1960s,whenthegreatmajorityofAmericansdislikedor
evendespisedmodernartPresidentTrumansummedupthe
popularviewwhenhesaid:"Ifthat'sart,thenI'maHottentot."
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Boy falls in
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Asfortheartiststhemselves,manywereexcommunistsbarely
acceptableintheAmericaoftheMcCarthyiteera,andcertainly
notthesortofpeoplenormallylikelytoreceiveUSgovernment
backing.
WhydidtheCIAsupportthem?Becauseinthepropagandawar
withtheSovietUnion,thisnewartisticmovementcouldbeheld
upasproofofthecreativity,theintellectualfreedom,andthe
culturalpoweroftheUS.Russianart,strappedintothe
communistideologicalstraitjacket,couldnotcompete.
Theexistenceofthispolicy,rumouredanddisputedformany
years,hasnowbeenconfirmedforthefirsttimebyformerCIA
officials.Unknowntotheartists,thenewAmericanartwas
secretlypromotedunderapolicyknownasthe"longleash"
arrangementssimilarinsomewaystotheindirectCIAbacking
ofthejournalEncounter,editedbyStephenSpender.
ThedecisiontoincludecultureandartintheUSColdWar
arsenalwastakenassoonastheCIAwasfoundedin1947.
Dismayedattheappealcommunismstillhadformany
intellectualsandartistsintheWest,thenewagencysetupa
division,thePropagandaAssetsInventory,whichatitspeak
couldinfluencemorethan800newspapers,magazinesand
publicinformationorganisations.Theyjokedthatitwaslikea
Wurlitzerjukebox:whentheCIApushedabuttonitcouldhear
whatevertuneitwantedplayingacrosstheworld.
Thenextkeystepcamein1950,whentheInternational
OrganisationsDivision(IOD)wassetupunderTomBraden.It
wasthisofficewhichsubsidisedtheanimatedversionofGeorge
Orwell'sAnimalFarm,whichsponsoredAmericanjazzartists,
operarecitals,theBostonSymphonyOrchestra'sinternational
touringprogramme.Itsagentswereplacedinthefilmindustry,
inpublishinghouses,evenastravelwritersforthecelebrated
Fodorguides.And,wenowknow,itpromotedAmerica's
anarchicavantgardemovement,AbstractExpressionism.
Initially,moreopenattemptsweremadetosupportthenew
Americanart.In1947theStateDepartmentorganisedandpaid
foratouringinternationalexhibitionentitled"Advancing
AmericanArt",withtheaimofrebuttingSovietsuggestionsthat
Americawasaculturaldesert.Buttheshowcausedoutrageat
home,promptingTrumantomakehisHottentotremarkandone
bittercongressmantodeclare:"IamjustadumbAmericanwho
paystaxesforthiskindoftrash."Thetourhadtobecancelled.
TheUSgovernmentnowfacedadilemma.Thisphilistinism,
combinedwithJosephMcCarthy'shystericaldenunciationsofall
thatwasavantgardeorunorthodox,wasdeeplyembarrassing.It
discreditedtheideathatAmericawasasophisticated,culturally
richdemocracy.ItalsopreventedtheUSgovernmentfrom
consolidatingtheshiftinculturalsupremacyfromParistoNew
Yorksincethe1930s.Toresolvethisdilemma,theCIAwas
broughtin.
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Theconnectionisnotquiteasoddasitmightappear.Atthis
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timethenewagency,staffedmainlybyYaleandHarvard
graduates,manyofwhomcollectedartandwrotenovelsintheir
sparetime,wasahavenofliberalismwhencomparedwitha
politicalworlddominatedbyMcCarthyorwithJEdgarHoover's
FBI.Ifanyofficialinstitutionwasinapositiontocelebratethe
collectionofLeninists,Trotskyitesandheavydrinkersthatmade
uptheNewYorkSchool,itwastheCIA.
The Independent
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Untilnowtherehasbeennofirsthandevidencetoprovethat
thisconnectionwasmade,butforthefirsttimeaformercase
officer,DonaldJameson,hasbrokenthesilence.Yes,hesays,the
agencysawAbstractExpressionismasanopportunity,andyes,it
ranwithit.
"RegardingAbstractExpressionism,I'dlovetobeabletosaythat
theCIAinventeditjusttoseewhathappensinNewYorkand
downtownSoHotomorrow!"hejoked."ButIthinkthatwhatwe
didreallywastorecognisethedifference.Itwasrecognisedthat
AbstractExpressionismwasthekindofartthatmadeSocialist
Realismlookevenmorestylisedandmorerigidandconfined
thanitwas.Andthatrelationshipwasexploitedinsomeofthe
exhibitions.
"InawayourunderstandingwashelpedbecauseMoscowin
thosedayswasveryviciousinitsdenunciationofanykindof
nonconformitytoitsownveryrigidpatterns.Andsoonecould
quiteadequatelyandaccuratelyreasonthatanythingthey
criticisedthatmuchandthatheavyhandedlywasworthsupport
onewayoranother."
TopursueitsundergroundinterestinAmerica'sleftyavant
garde,theCIAhadtobesureitspatronagecouldnotbe
discovered."Mattersofthissortcouldonlyhavebeendoneat
twoorthreeremoves,"MrJamesonexplained,"sothatthere
wouldn'tbeanyquestionofhavingtoclearJacksonPollock,for
example,ordoanythingthatwouldinvolvethesepeopleinthe
organisation.Anditcouldn'thavebeenanycloser,becausemost
ofthemwerepeoplewhohadverylittlerespectforthe
government,inparticular,andcertainlynonefortheCIA.Ifyou
hadtousepeoplewhoconsideredthemselvesonewayoranother
tobeclosertoMoscowthantoWashington,well,somuchthe
betterperhaps."
Thiswasthe"longleash".ThecentrepieceoftheCIAcampaign
becametheCongressforCulturalFreedom,avastjamboreeof
intellectuals,writers,historians,poets,andartistswhichwasset
upwithCIAfundsin1950andrunbyaCIAagent.Itwasthe
beachheadfromwhichculturecouldbedefendedagainstthe
attacksofMoscowandits"fellowtravellers"intheWest.Atits
height,ithadofficesin35countriesandpublishedmorethan
twodozenmagazines,includingEncounter.
TheCongressforCulturalFreedomalsogavetheCIAtheideal
fronttopromoteitscovertinterestinAbstractExpressionism.It
wouldbetheofficialsponsoroftouringexhibitionsits
magazineswouldprovideusefulplatformsforcriticsfavourable
tothenewAmericanpaintingandnoone,theartistsincluded,
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wouldbeanythewiser.
ThisorganisationputtogetherseveralexhibitionsofAbstract
Expressionismduringthe1950s.Oneofthemostsignificant,
"TheNewAmericanPainting",visitedeverybigEuropeancityin
195859.Otherinfluentialshowsincluded"ModernArtinthe
UnitedStates"(1955)and"MasterpiecesoftheTwentieth
Century"(1952).
BecauseAbstractExpressionismwasexpensivetomovearound
andexhibit,millionairesandmuseumswerecalledintoplay.
PreeminentamongthesewasNelsonRockefeller,whosemother
hadcofoundedtheMuseumofModernArtinNewYork.As
presidentofwhathecalled"Mummy'smuseum",Rockefeller
wasoneofthebiggestbackersofAbstractExpressionism(which
hecalled"freeenterprisepainting").Hismuseumwascontracted
totheCongressforCulturalFreedomtoorganiseandcurate
mostofitsimportantartshows.
ThemuseumwasalsolinkedtotheCIAbyseveralotherbridges.
WilliamPaley,thepresidentofCBSbroadcastingandafounding
fatheroftheCIA,satonthemembers'boardofthemuseum's
InternationalProgramme.JohnHayWhitney,whohadservedin
theagency'swartimepredecessor,theOSS,wasitschairman.
AndTomBraden,firstchiefoftheCIA'sInternational
OrganisationsDivision,wasexecutivesecretaryofthemuseum
in1949.
Nowinhiseighties,MrBradenlivesinWoodbridge,Virginia,in
ahousepackedwithAbstractExpressionistworksandguarded
byenormousAlsatians.HeexplainedthepurposeoftheIOD.
"Wewantedtouniteallthepeoplewhowerewriters,whowere
musicians,whowereartists,todemonstratethattheWestand
theUnitedStateswasdevotedtofreedomofexpressionandto
intellectualachievement,withoutanyrigidbarriersastowhat
youmustwrite,andwhatyoumustsay,andwhatyoumustdo,
andwhatyoumustpaint,whichwaswhatwasgoingoninthe
SovietUnion.Ithinkitwasthemostimportantdivisionthatthe
agencyhad,andIthinkthatitplayedanenormousroleinthe
ColdWar."
Heconfirmedthathisdivisionhadactedsecretlybecauseofthe
publichostilitytotheavantgarde:"Itwasverydifficulttoget
Congresstogoalongwithsomeofthethingswewantedtodo
sendartabroad,sendsymphoniesabroad,publishmagazines
abroad.That'soneofthereasonsithadtobedonecovertly.It
hadtobeasecret.Inordertoencourageopennesswehadtobe
secret."
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Ifthismeantplayingpopetothiscentury'sMichelangelos,well,
allthebetter:"Ittakesapopeorsomebodywithalotofmoneyto
recogniseartandtosupportit,"MrBradensaid."Andafter
manycenturiespeoplesay,'Ohlook!theSistineChapel,themost
beautifulcreationonEarth!'It'saproblemthatcivilisationhas
facedeversincethefirstartistandthefirstmillionaireorpope
whosupportedhim.Andyetifithadn'tbeenforthemulti
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millionairesorthepopes,wewouldn'thavehadtheart."
WouldAbstractExpressionismhavebeenthedominantart
movementofthepostwaryearswithoutthispatronage?The
answerisprobablyyes.Equally,itwouldbewrongtosuggest
thatwhenyoulookatanAbstractExpressionistpaintingyouare
beingdupedbytheCIA.
Butlookwherethisartendedup:inthemarblehallsofbanks,in
airports,incityhalls,boardroomsandgreatgalleries.Forthe
ColdWarriorswhopromotedthem,thesepaintingswerealogo,
asignaturefortheircultureandsystemwhichtheywantedto
displayeverywherethatcounted.Theysucceeded.
*ThefullstoryoftheCIAandmodernartistoldin'Hidden
Hands'onChannel4nextSundayat8pm.Thefirstprogramme
intheseriesisscreenedtonight.FrancesStonorSaundersis
writingabookontheculturalColdWar.
CovertOperation
In1958thetouringexhibition"TheNewAmericanPainting",
includingworksbyPollock,deKooning,Motherwellandothers,
wasonshowinParis.TheTateGallerywaskeentohaveitnext,
butcouldnotaffordtobringitover.Lateintheday,anAmerican
millionaireandartlover,JuliusFleischmann,steppedinwith
thecashandtheshowwasbroughttoLondon.
ThemoneythatFleischmannprovided,however,wasnothisbut
theCIA's.ItcamethroughabodycalledtheFarfieldFoundation,
ofwhichFleischmannwaspresident,butfarfrombeinga
millionaire'scharitablearm,thefoundationwasasecretconduit
forCIAfunds.
So,unknowntotheTate,thepublicortheartists,theexhibition
wastransferredtoLondonatAmericantaxpayers'expenseto
servesubtleColdWarpropagandapurposes.AformerCIAman,
TomBraden,describedhowsuchconduitsastheFarfield
Foundationweresetup."WewouldgotosomebodyinNewYork
whowasawellknownrichpersonandwewouldsay,'Wewant
tosetupafoundation.'Wewouldtellhimwhatweweretryingto
doandpledgehimtosecrecy,andhewouldsay,'OfcourseI'lldo
it,'andthenyouwouldpublishaletterheadandhisnamewould
beonitandtherewouldbeafoundation.Itwasreallyapretty
simpledevice."
JuliusFleischmannwaswellplacedforsucharole.Hesatonthe
boardoftheInternationalProgrammeoftheMuseumofModern
ArtinNewYorkasdidseveralpowerfulfiguresclosetothe
CIA.
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MaybeDaveMcGowanisontosomethingwhenhewritesabout
howtheCIAsetuptheHippycounterculturemovementto
discredittherespectableantiwarmovementbyassociation.He
claimstheLaurelCanyonsuburbinLAwastheepicentreofthe
operationwherevirtuallyallthemajorfiguresofthecounter
culturelivedandpartied
+ 1
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+ 1
MPCASTRO 525daysago
Aswellit,CIA,promotedbetter,morecreativeand
engagingwritersbysupporting,financially,TheParis
Review,again,likeRoderickMcKiepostedabove,
commonoutintheopenknowledgesince(atleast)
the'90s.MyexceptiontoRoderick'spost(only)being
thatPollack'sexpressionsarefarfromvacuous.Ido
agree,however,thathis(oranybreakthrough
creative's)imitatorposeursarewalkingvacuums.
+ 1
+ 2
MPCASTRO 510daysago
Ithinksomehyperflamer'searsglowedadeep
redwhenImentioned"poseurs."Theicepick
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optionjustmaytakecareofthat.Goforit.
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