Art market as an institution (Medellin: 1964-1967)

Abstract

This article studies four years, when first galleries were created —and closed most of them— in Medellin. Beyond their commercial work, these places also had an unprecedented function of divulgation in the region: they show the work of
local authors and managed to spread the artworks of Colombian and, sometimes, international artist. This fact marked a notable change in the number of publications made by the press about art market, reaching a detailed account of the activities
presented by these institutions and, in general, all the spaces that were dedicated to the artistic diffusion. Subsequently, three new galleries were created in the city, places that, in comparison of the first ones, motivated the debate and the discussions,
as much with its expositions as with different events that carried out. Once again, this process that was taking place in Medellin was closely followed by the press of the time, a source of incalculable value in order to gain a broader understanding of this process
in the city. Through the analysis of the local press and literature —mainly— the end of this first cycle of galleries in Medellin can be established in 1967, concluding that the creation of these first galleries would not be entirely successful, since processes
of cultural changing in the region had not yet reached an optimum point for these establishments, dedicated to the artistic trade, to succeed like they would years later.