In the year in which Brazil celebrates the centenary of the Week of Modern Art and the bicentennial of its Independence, the Pinacoteca de São Paulo opens today (27) an exhibition to dialogue with these two events and examine how the idea of modernity was elaborated, presented and discussed outside the country, specifically in the United States.
The exhibition Through the Streets: Modern Life and Urban Experiences in the Art of the United States 1893-1976 is in collaboration with the organization Terra Foundation for American Art and brings together 150 works by 78 artists, among them well-known names in world art such as Andy Warhol and Edward Hopper and photographer Robert Frank. There is also the work Wanted Poster Series #14, by Charles White (1918-1979), which for the first time has his work exhibited in the country. The work questions the remnants of a slave mentality from a 19th century poster, where rewards were offered for escaped slaves.
Through the Streets: Modern Life and Urban Experiences in American Art Exhibition Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil
“It is an exhibition that we specifically thought of for 2022, the year in which we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Week of Modern Art, which is a milestone in the history of Brazilian art, and also the Bicentennial of the Independence of Brazil. For us, it is a time when we should think about what history of Brazilian art do we want to have in our collection and what art and what history do we want for our country?”, said Jochen Volz, general director of the Pinacoteca.
Pelas Ruas is a tour of North American cities, showing how this new artistic conception dialogues with the transformation of these cities into large urban centers and with the buildings that rose increasingly towards the sky. The art presented in this exhibition shows the increasingly modern cities and the conflicts that arise from this growth: crowds, migrations, social demands, segregation, the melancholy looks of passengers on public transport, entertainment, loneliness and even meetings.
“There is this moment of migration and urbanization that, if on the one hand, brings many social and environmental problems, it also brings a very rich culture, such as the creation of jazz in the United States, pop rock culture, theaters. And all this is very present in this exhibition”, explained the director of the Pinacoteca.
The curatorship is by Valéria Piccoli, chief curator of the Pinacoteca; Fernanda Pitta, assistant professor at MAC-USP, and Taylor L. Poulin, assistant curator at the Terra Foundation.
“This exhibition is a reflection on modernity in the United States, on art in the 20th century in the United States. And she looks for parallels between Brazilian production and North American production,” said Valéria Piccoli, in an interview with Brazil Agency.
Pinacoteca curator Valéria Piccoli and Terra Foundation assistant curator Taylor L. Poulin – Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil
At the Pinacoteca, the route to see these works begins with a room dedicated to the Universal Exposition in Chicago, a major event that was held in 1893 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in America. And Brazil was present on that occasion, presenting itself internationally as a republican country for the first time. One of the works that was presented in this 1893 exhibition is Reading, by José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior, which is part of the museum’s collection and will be on display at this show.
The visit to the seven rooms dedicated to the exhibition Through the Streets is closed in two sections: Reimagined Cities, which deals with counterculture; and Engagement and separation, which explores the urban space as a stage for demonstrations and demands. It is here that you can find an engraving made by Andy Warhol, in 1965, of a political nature, which addresses an episode of police violence that occurred in the state of Alabama.
“The bicentennial of American independence is evoked at the end of the exhibition at a time when the streets of the United States are taken over by various civil rights movements. And I think that this moment of struggle and effervescence is an important reflection for us now, in this moment when we celebrate our bicentennial. Time to finally think about what kind of society we want to fight for”, said the curator of the exhibition. “The end of the exhibition also presents the possibility of dreaming up other ways of living in community. I think it’s also important for us to think about it,” said Valéria.
Through this show, the curators also highlight American art produced by women, such as architectural photographs taken by Berenice Abbott in New York. Other images of a social nature, which address the situation of the unemployed and immigrants in San Francisco, made by Dorothea Lange, and Gordon Parks’ portraits of the music scene in Harlem, a peripheral and predominantly black neighborhood in New York, will also be on display.
Through the Streets: Modern Life and Urban Experiences in American Art Exhibition Rovena Rosa/Agência Brasil
Within the scope of the exhibition, a workshop will also be organized between Brazilian and North American researchers to discuss and debate the American modernist movement and the intersections with Brazilian art.
On Saturdays, admission to the Pinacoteca is free for everyone. On Thursdays there is also free visitation, from 18:00 to 20:00, courtesy of B3 Oficial, the museum’s sponsor.
The exhibition is on view until January 30, 2023. Further information about the show can be obtained at Pinacoteca website.
