"Refined Material is a groundbreaking study that situates Venezuela's midcentury art and architecture in light of the modern nation-state's myriad ties to petroleum extraction, processing, and petrodollars."⏤Rachel Price, Princeton University "There is no study in the English language to date that investigates and contextualizes petroculture in midcentury Venezuela, certainly not with the rigorous research and keen analysis of Refined Material. I would venture to say that there is no such book available in any language that so thoroughly contextualizes artistic production in Venezuela within this high-stakes historical moment and global economic interests."⏤Ana María Reyes, author of The Politics of Taste: Beatriz González and Cold War Aesthetics