Off the Front. European Artists and the Vietnam War (1955–1975)

The workshop investigates how European artistic practices engaged with the Vietnam War (1955-1975).
Mass media turned Vietnam into a “living-room war”, raising questions about the ethics of spectatorship and the circulation of violent imagery. The conflict also shaped European debates on Third Worldism, anti-colonial struggle, and solidarity. While European diplomatic and activist responses to the war have been widely studied, their intersection with artistic practice remains less explored.
By examining how artists reworked circulating images, rethought authorship, and confronted a war fought elsewhere, the workshop aims to bring new materials to light and to reassess the methods and categories through which art and political conflict can be analyzed today.

The workshop is organized by the Weddigen Department of the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History in Rome.

We invite proposals for 20-minute papers in English. To apply, please send an abstract of 1,000–1,500 words, a brief bibliography, and a short biography of no more than 150 words, combined in a single PDF, to Gianlorenzo Chiaraluce (gianlorenzo.chiaraluce@biblhertz.it) and Caterina Martinelli (caterina.martinelli@biblhertz.it) by December 20, 2026.

The workshop aims to minimize its carbon footprint and therefore discourages air travel. Online participation will be offered.

Scientific Organization: Gianlorenzo Chiaraluce and Caterina Martinelli

Photo Credits
Renato Guttuso, Documentario sul Vietnam, 1965
tempera, ink, oil paint and collage on canvas 151 × 220 cm
Akademie der Künste, Kunstsammlung, Berlin
Courtesy Archivi Guttuso, Rome