A Trojan Horse? An icon of the anti-establishment at the Victoria & Albert Museum

摘要

This article explores the independently curated exhibition, Che Guevara: Revolutionary andIcon, which was on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, in 2006. It analyses theexhibition's interpretive approach, as well as the tensions between the exhibition's curator andinstitution. I focus, in the final instance, on the particular issues associated with the display ofrevolutionary material culture, as well as the phenomenon of communist kitsch. The articleconcludes by arguing that art and politics are inextricably linked in revolutionary material, andin derivatives thereof, including those pertaining to Che Guevara. Without interpretation of bothaspects, the impact of the whole is diminished. For a satisfactory outcome, I contend, museumsmust be prepared to take a clear interpretive stance, and accept any criticism or controversythat follows by tackling the issues this type of art and material culture raises, or not at all