Pathways to the Contemporary Art Field: Latin American Visual Artists Gaining Legitimacy in the United Kingdom (1990-2024)

This dissertation examines how Latin American visual artists have gained legitimacy within the contemporary art field in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1990 to 2024. Drawing on historical analysis, museum records, and 18 semi-structured interviews with visual artists and art professionals in the UK, it investigates the role of actors in the art field (mediators and intermediaries) as well as the personal strategies adopted by visual artists to build up legitimacy. The findings reveal that Latin American visual artists have gained legitimacy in the UK through a dual process that combines external validation with individual agency. Mediators, such as curators, academics and public institutions, provide symbolic capital, facilitate access to professional networks, and offer mentorship and institutional support. Intermediaries, including galleries, art fairs and dealers, enable market access, collector outreach and increased exposure. Alongside these actors, artists mobilize their own resources by pursuing postgraduate education, cultivating strategic networks, and applying to open calls for residencies, grants and awards. The study also highlights how identity can be both a resource and a constraint, shaped by institutional and market expectations. Ultimately, this research contributes to the historiography of Latin American art in the UK and to wider debates on legitimacy in globalized art contexts.