Two of the most important art galleries in São Paulo, and in Brazil, are celebrating 50 years of activity: Raquel Arnaud and Luisa Strina. Both are pioneers in founding spaces inspired by the American gallery model, which seeks aesthetic coherence through the selection of a small group of represented artists.
Galeria Raquel Arnaud was born in 1973 under the name Gabinete de Arte. The space passed through several addresses in São Paulo and today operates in Vila Madalena, the city's bohemian, creative neighborhood. The artists represented by Arnaud include Waltercio Caldas, Carlos Cruz-Díez, Arthur Luiz Piza, Sérvulo Esmeraldo, Iole de Freitas, Maria Carmen Perlingeiro, Carlos Zilio and Tuneu.
Its 50 years are being celebrated with the exhibition Cinco Décadas de Arte: 50 Anos da Galeria Raquel Arnaud, curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti and Marina Schiesari.
Galeria Luisa Strina, in turn, was founded in 1974 with a focus on Brazilian conceptual artists. In doing so, it helped consolidate the careers of names such as Antonio Dias, Cildo Meireles, Tunga and Waltercio Caldas. Today it represents emerging Brazilian artists such as Alexandre da Cunha, Fernanda Gomes and Marepe; Latin Americans such as Carlos Garaicoa, Jorge Macchi, Juan Araujo and Pedro Reyes; as well as names of international standing, Alfredo Jaar and Anna Maria Maiolino. Galeria Luisa Strina is located in the Jardins neighborhood of São Paulo.
Both were featured in the Folha de S. Paulo article on women in leadership positions in the art world in Brazil; read our summary.
