Taking Venice

During the height of the Cold War, the U.S. government decided to combat Communism through cultural influence. The Venice Biennale, the world's most prestigious art exhibition, became a battleground in 1964. Alice Denney, a Washington insider and friend of the Kennedys, recommended Alan Solomon, an ambitious curator known for his innovative art exhibitions, to organize the U.S. entry. Together with Leo Castelli, a powerful New York art dealer, they devised a bold plan to secure the Grand Prize for Robert Rauschenberg, an artist who combined street junk and pop culture images in his work.

Rauschenberg was not yet widely respected, but his work had the potential to impress. The American team executed their plan with precision, reminiscent of a Hollywood thriller, leaving the international press in an uproar and Rauschenberg himself questioning the nationalist politics that had propelled him to victory.