Universal stories of art. Forms and circulations of an editorial genre in Argentina

Abstract

The production of printed objects related to the plastic arts occupies an important place in the catalogs of Argentine publishers throughout the 20th century. In particular, the fabrication of the so-called universal art stories, constituted as an editorial genre in the second half of the 19th century, gives rise to diferent practices in Argentina since the first decades of the 20th century, which include the translation of books published in France and the distribution of Spanish art stories but also the local edition. Within the framework of this article, some moments of this editorial genre are introduced in Argentina and the editorial projects that involved writing and editing art stories in the country are focused. Some of its typological characteristics are commented as writen and visual artifacts and its articulation with the editorial catalogs. The advertisements of these books are also covered in the graphic press, identifying the construction of an imaginary about the book object in relation to the history of art as knowledge.