Primera Lección (Desaparición del escudo)
First Lesson (Disappearance of the Coat of Arms)
Primera lección (Desaparición del escudo) was presented by Bernardo Salcedo at the Second American Biennial of Graphic Arts, held at Museo La Tertulia in Cali, Colombia, in 1973.
The work offers a critical reinterpretation of Colombia’s national coat of arms, systematically dismantling its symbolic elements through a series of written statements. By replacing familiar images with language, Salcedo questions the relationship between national identity, political authority, and the construction of collective meaning.
The work provoked controversy upon its presentation, prompting the city’s mayor to request its removal on the grounds that it constituted an affront to Colombia’s national symbols. Despite the objection, it remained on exhibition.
Primera lección belongs to Salcedo’s so-called textual period, during which language became a central element of his artistic practice. Through irony, negation, and a deliberate economy of visual means, the artist challenged established systems of representation and the authority of official narratives.
Originally conceived as five monumental wooden panels, the work was designed to be displayed without a fixed sequence, allowing its statements to be read in different orders. This open arrangement reinforces Salcedo’s interest in questioning conventional structures of meaning.
In 2017, a commemorative screenprint edition was produced by the artist’s heirs, preserving the conceptual spirit of the original work and its intended possibilities for reproduction and circulation.
Artwork Details
Artist: Bernardo Salcedo
Title: Primera lección (Desaparición del escudo)
Date: 1970 (exhibited in 1973; original date pending verification)
Medium: Duco paint and Letraset lettering on wood
Dimensions: Set of five silkscreen prints
Each 39 x 93 x 5 cm (framed)
Overall dimensions: 195 x 93 x 5 cm
Exhibition: Second American Biennial of Graphic Arts, Museo La Tertulia, Cali, Colombia, 1973
Collection: Original work donated to Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (MAMBO)
Commemorative Edition (2017): Three-color screenprint on 220 gsm Fabriano paper, printed at Arte Dos Gráfico, Bogotá, Colombia. Edition of 100 numbered copies and 20 proofs.
Limited Edition Screenprints Available
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