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Exhibition

Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism

28 Jan-21 Apr 2025

Royal Academy Of Arts
London W1J 0BD

Overview

In the early 20th century a new modern art was emerging in Brazil.

Starting in the 1910s and continuing into the 1970s, Brazilian artists were adapting contemporary trends, international influences and artistic traditions to create a new type of modern art; art informed by the vibrant cultures, identities and landscapes of Brazil.

Everyday life in Brazil was the subject of this new modernism and the Indigenous identity and Afro-Brazilian experience were among the many influences these artists drew upon in their work. This was a group of people looking inward at their rich cultural resource to set a new course for modernism that was borne out across South America.

This exhibition brings an expanded view of Brazilian Modernism to UK audiences, showing work by artists who have historically received less exposure in this country, including women artists Tarsila do Amaral and Anita Malfatti, self-taught artists Alfredo Volpi and Djanira, Afro-Brazilian artist Rubem Valentim and performance artist, Flávio de Carvalho.

Exhibition organised by the Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Arts, London.