Fabrication mascaraing as objective truth permeates many aspects of the history we are taught in American society, and this is often reinforced by what we observe in art. “Artistic Encounters with Indigenous America” is a current exhibition at the Met that seeks to shed light on the false depiction of Native Americans as uncivilized by European artists.
Many of these works served as advertisements, which depicted negative stereotypes of Native Americans which were advantageous to Europeans. This brings into question how visual information in our current world is so often motivated by capital gain, through direct advertisement, sponsorship, etc. This exhibit makes clear that there is perpetual value in being an informed and conscious observer of art and the world.
Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2018/artistic-encounters-with-indigenous-america
