Geraldo de Barros: Geraldo de Barros e a Fotografia

Fruit of a partnership between SESC Belenzinho and Instituto Moreira Salles, this show accentuates historic aspects and the experimental character of Geraldo de Barros‘ (1923 – 1998, Brazil) photographic production, focusing on its relationship with his engravings and paintings made between 1940 and 1990. Curated by Heloisa Espada, IMS’ visual arts coordinator, the exhibition comprises 524 works and revolves around three cores:

1- Fotoformas, works from 1940 to the 50s: This core reunites exemples of early photographs and drawings made by the artist right after the War, when he was involved with a gestual painting with expressionist influences. In this section, we also find monotypes from when he first got involved with abstractionism and concrete paintings from the 50s, when he was part of the Ruptura group.

2- The paintings from the 1960s and 1970s: Similar to other concrete painters of his generation, Geraldo de Barros was involved with Pop Art and the New Figuration movement, that would approach figurative art in the context of mass culture. He would paint on top of billboards, appropriating photos originally in the publicity materials, generating very critic works.

3- The series Sobras, from the final years of his life: The series was created when the artist was partially paralized from brain ischemias that he suffered after the 1970s. Working on his family’s photographic collection with the aid of an assistant, he cuts, risks and assembles small fragments of 35mm negatives on glass plates.