Western civilization in contrast, celebrated individuality and freedom of expression. Some valued artist during this time include Jackson Pollock and Alexander Calder who were celebrated for their abstract work. The idea of abstract art and creativity emphasize the capitalistic values of progressiveness and freedom of expression. The CIA supported this because propaganda during the Cold War with the Soviet Union, this new artistic movement could be held up as proof of the creativity, the intellectual freedom, and the cultural power of the US. Russian art, strapped into the communist ideological straitjacket, could not compete.

'Examination of the rising success of Abstract Expressionism in America after World War II, therefore, entails consideration of the role of the leading museum of contemporary art—The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)—and the ideological needs of its officers during a period of virulent anticommunism and an intensifying "cold war."'

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