Between 13 and 17 February 1922, a group of artists and intellectuals from São Paulo gathered at the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo to propose a renewal of the aesthetic standards of Brazilian art. That was the Modern Art Week which, now turning 100, continues to be debated and to cast its influence over contemporary artistic production. The anniversary will be remembered throughout the year by several cultural institutions in São Paulo. Here, we have put together a selection of some of these events and spaces that reference this iconic period of Brazilian art.
Pinacoteca do Estado
Until December, it presents Modernismo. Destaques do acervo, in the main building, located in Parque da Luz. Among the more than 1000 works in this long-term exhibition (on the second floor), the museum highlights 134 works by artists linked to Modernism, including the canvas Amigos, by Di Cavalcanti, which was shown at the Theatro Municipal during the Week of 22. The selection also includes Antropofagia and São Paulo, both by Tarsila do Amaral; Bananal, by Lasar Segall, and Casal na varanda, by Pernambuco-born Cícero Dias, among others.
The Pinacoteca is open Wednesday to Monday (closed on Tuesdays). Tickets can be booked online.
(Featured image: Bananal, by Lasar Segall. Oil on canvas. Photo: Isabella Matheus. Press image from the Pinacoteca)
Centro Cultural FIESP
The venue on Avenida Paulista presents, in partnership with USP's Instituto de Estudos Brasileiros (IEB), the exhibition Era Uma Vez o Moderno, bringing together around 400 drawings, diaries, photographs and letters from the period, selected mainly from the Mário de Andrade collection acquired by USP in the 1960s. The curators thereby present the public with Modernist works of art side by side with documents from the period itself, for example Anita Malfati's diary alongside her canvas O homem amarelo. See how to visit.
Casa Mário de Andrade
Located on Rua Lopes Chave, in Barra Funda, the townhouse where Mário de Andrade lived preserves some of his personal objects and his library, making it an essential stop for anyone wanting to understand the world in which one of the leading ideologues of the Modernist Movement lived. In February, the Casa hosts a programme commemorating the Week of 22. See the website.
Casa Guilherme de Almeida
In Pacaembu, the house where the poet and translator Guilherme de Almeida lived is another must for lovers of Modernism. Guilherme was one of the organisers of the Week of 22 and welcomed groups of Modernist artists at lively soirées. As a result, he received paintings and sculptures as gifts, several of which are kept in the house to this day, which now operates as a museum. The collection includes canvases by Anita Malfatti, Lasar Segall and Di Cavalcanti. See how to visit.
Museu do Futebol
In June, the museum located beneath the stands of the Pacaembu Stadium opens the exhibition 22 em Campo: Modernismo e Futebol, curated by the architect Guilherme Wisnik. The exhibition sets out to discuss how football, like Modernism, contributed to building the idea of Brazil that endures to this day.
