An outstanding segment in the Roberto Marinho Collection consists of the paintings from the second phase of Brazilian modernism (from the mid-1930s through the 1940s) and the works of nongeometric abstractionism, from the 1940s until the end of the 20th century

The show ACERVO [Collection] on the ground floor of Casa Roberto Marinho – during the interval between the retrospective shows Maria Martins and O Tempo completa, clássicos e inéditos de Burle Marx – features 22 artworks by 9 artists.

Pancetti, Guignard, Lasar Segall, Portinari and Di Cavalcanti all affirmed, each in his own way, a modern language in Brazilian painting. The latter two painters were aligned to an agenda founded on the use of “national” themes, colors and nonacademic structures; Segall incorporated the light of the tropics into a Western European expressionist basis; Pancetti and Guignard, with their particular obsessions for water and air, have remained current until today: in critical times it is essential to establish an artistic poetics which, while individual, nonetheless spurs the imagination of many.

Carlos Scliar belongs to a more recent generation than the previously mentioned artists. His work, in vogue from the 1960s to the ’80s, but little seen today, merits a revision through generous eyes. These two paintings will certainly spark the curiosity of visitors concerning his extensive trajectory.

The former living room of the Marinho family features paintings by Antonio Bandeira, Iberê Camargo and Manabu Mabe. In them, the color blue predominates. This color, which in the language of Brazilian art was freed from the association to sadness with which it became synonymous in English, can here be appreciated in all its power, in the brushstrokes of the three masters. And, for those who recall the musical genre of blues, associating the color to the feeling of songs by Miles Davis and so many others, we highlight the uncannily current lyrics by Caetano Veloso, sung on the record he released in 1971 during his London exile: “but today, I don’t know why, I feel a little more blue than then.” Could it be?

Lauro Cavalcanti
Executive director of Casa Roberto Marinho