Exhibition

Eight Decades of Informal Abstraction

Eight decades of Informal Abstraction in the collections of Instituto Casa Roberto Marinho and Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo

Dec 07 to Jun 09

Tuesday to Sunday from 12 am to 6 pm

R. Cosme Velho, 1105
Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Exhibition

Eight Decades of Informal Abstraction

Eight decades of Informal Abstraction in the collections of Instituto Casa Roberto Marinho and Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo

Dec 07 to Jun 09

Tuesday to Sunday from 12 am to 6 pm

R. Cosme Velho, 1105
Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Tomie Ohtake
Pintura nº 2, 1953 (Detail)

Pintura nº 2

Eight decades of Informal Abstraction in the collections of Instituto Casa Roberto Marinho and Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo

Abstract art began to be practiced in Brazil in the 1940s. Since the beginning, two lines emerged: informal abstraction and geometric abstraction. Informal abstraction is characterized by the expression of gestures by the artist, whether in the materials of painting or in sculpture; as a result, the style of each artist becomes very singular.

Geometric abstraction, on the other hand, is based on universal principles of mathematics and geometry, creating a more collective identity.

The artists who practiced informal abstraction in Brazil did not constitute permanent groups, since the singularity of each of their styles outweighed the general principles. Thus, in informal abstraction there is no school, as there is in geometric abstraction, which led to the formation of various groups such as Ruptura, Frente, and Neoconcreto. Likewise, there were no outstanding art critics who represented the informal artists, while there were those who defended geometric abstraction and accused informal abstraction of excessive subjectivism.

Nevertheless, informal abstraction sowed in Brazil an extensive field of gestural art and of the exploration of the material in the artwork. By bringing together two of the most important collections in Brazil, that of the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo and that of the Instituto Casa Roberto Marinho, we evidence the longstanding power of informal abstraction throughout the last eight decades. Despite recurring attacks against the informal as well as the fads that espoused geometric art, the artists who practiced informal abstraction in Brazil evince the consistency of their unique styles, their radicality in the exploration of the artistic material, and the visual lyricism of their compositions.

We invite the public for a fresh encounter with eight decades of informal abstraction in Brazil.

Felipe Chaimovich e Lauro Cavalcanti

Artists of the exhibition

Exhibition

There's a Whole Lot of Joy Here

Ten views of the Roberto Marinho Collection

Dec 11 to Apr 02

Tuesday to Sunday from 12 am to 6 pm

R. Cosme Velho, 1105
Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Visit the exhibition

Exhibition

There's a Whole Lot of Joy Here

Ten views of the Roberto Marinho Collection

Dec 11 to Apr 02

Tuesday to Sunday from 12 am to 6 pm

R. Cosme Velho, 1105
Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Visit the exhibition

Previous exhibitions

Enquanto

Enquanto

Casa Roberto Marinho

Rio de Janeiro - OCT 03 TO FEB 12 2021

Trusteeship: Lauro Cavalcanti

Double Gaze: Brazilian Modern Painting and Photography

Double Gaze: Brazilian Modern Painting and Photography

Casa Roberto Marinho

Rio de Janeiro - DEC 06 TO AUG 09 2020

Trusteeship: Paulo Venancio Filho e Marcia Mello

The Garden

The Garden

Casa Roberto Marinho

Rio de Janeiro - DEC 06 TO SEP 13 2020

Trusteeship: Lauro Cavalcanti

Foreigners in the Roberto Marinho Collection

Foreigners in the Roberto Marinho Collection

Casa Roberto Marinho

Rio de Janeiro - JUL 19 TO NOV 10 2019

Trusteeship: Lauro Cavalcanti

Djanira: the Memory of Her People

Djanira: the Memory of Her People

Casa Roberto Marinho

Rio de Janeiro - JUN 28 TO OCT 27 2019

Trusteeship: Isabella Rjeille e Rodrigo Moura

Modernos +

Modernos +

Casa Roberto Marinho

Rio de Janeiro - DEC 07 TO JUN 09 2019

Eight Decades of Informal Abstraction

Eight Decades of Informal Abstraction (2)

Casa Roberto Marinho

Rio de Janeiro - DEC 07 TO JUN 09 2019

Modernists 10

Modernists 10

Casa Roberto Marinho

Rio de Janeiro - APR 28 TO NOV 04 2018

Trusteeship: Lauro Cavalcanti

Artwork quantity: 124