Page 26 - ART GIANTS issue of World of Art (WOA) Contemporary Art Magazine

WORLD-CLASS ART TARSILA DO AMARAL:

PAINTING MODERN BRAZIL

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, in collaboration with
le GrandPalaisRmn, presents Tarsila do Amaral: Painting
Modern Brazil, a major exhibition dedicated to one of the
most influential figures in Brazilian modernism. Running
to June 1, 2025, this ambitious presentation brings
together a wide selection of works that highlight Tarsila’s
groundbreaking approach to art, exploring themes of
identity, society, and cultural transformation.
In the 1920s, Tarsila moved between São Paulo and Paris,
Tarsila do Amaral | A Cuca, 1924 Oil on canvas 60.5 x 72.5 cm. Centre national
immersing herself in avant-garde circles while becoming
des arts plastiques, Paris, on deposit at the Musée de Grenoble, inv. FNAC
increasingly aware of the exotic fascination Brazil held 9459. ©Tarsila do Amaral Licenciamento e Empreendimentos S.A., Photo:
for her Parisian peers. Cubism provided her with a ©Ville de Grenoble - Musée de Grenoble / J.L. Lacroix
formal method to reinterpret her homeland’s landscapes,
Tarsila do Amaral | Workers (Operários), 1933 Oil on canvas 150 x 205 cm.
moving beyond conventional artistic representations and Acervo Artístico-Cultural dos Palácios do Governo do Estado de São Paulo,
colonial prejudices. São Paulo. ©Tarsila do Amaral Licenciamento e Empreendimentos S.A.
Photo: ©Artistic-Cultural Collection of the Governmental Palaces of the State
She synthesized these influences into a distinct
of São Paulo / Romulo Fialdini
visual language, pioneering movements such as Pau-
Brasil and Anthropophagia, which redefined Brazil’s
cultural relationship with European artistic centers and
celebrated the country’s diverse and multiracial heritage.
During the 1930s, Tarsila’s paintings embraced a stronger
activist dimension, responding to Brazil’s social and
urban transformations.

Tarsila do Amaral | Urutu, 1928 Oil on canvas 60.5 x 72.5 cm. Gilberto
Chateaubriand Collection, Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro
©Tarsila do Amaral Licenciamento e Empreendimentos S.A., Photo: ©Gilberto
Chateaubriand MAM Rio de Janeiro / Romulo Fialdini et Valentino Fialdini

Her artistic evolution continued through the 1960s,
demonstrating her unwavering commitment to
reinvention despite the challenges faced by independent
women artists of her time.
This exhibition invites visitors to explore the full breadth
of Tarsila’s innovative and evocative body of work, which
captures both the vibrancy and contradictions of Brazil’s
modern identity. By presenting a selection of paintings,
drawings, and studies that span her career, the show
underscores the enduring relevance of her artistic vision,
emphasizing the ongoing debate around modernity,
identity, and national heritage in both Brazil and Europe.

26 WORLD of ART