Almir Mavignier, Brazilian Constructivist Pioneer, Dies at 93 in Hamburg
Almir da Silva Mavignier, a prominent figure in Brazilian geometric abstraction, passed away at the age of 93 in Hamburg, Germany, earlier this month. He was born on May 1, 1925, in Rio de Janeiro and became a founding member of the constructivist art nucleus in the late 1940s. Mavignier studied under Árpád Szenes, which led to his exhibition at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo by 1951. He relocated to Europe that same year, where he both studied and taught at Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm. He took part in Documenta in 1964 and 1968, later teaching in Hamburg. His final exhibitions occurred in 2003 and 2004, and a retrospective is being planned by the Ulm Museum in his honor.
Key facts
- Almir Mavignier died in early March in Hamburg, Germany, at age 93.
- He was a key founder of Rio de Janeiro's constructivist art scene in the late 1940s.
- Mavignier studied painting with Árpád Szenes in Rio starting in 1946.
- He exhibited at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo in 1951.
- From 1946 to 1951, he ran an atelier at the Engenho de Dentro psychiatric hospital, influenced by Nise da Silveira.
- He studied and taught at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Ulm under Max Bill.
- Mavignier was a noted graphic designer, creating modular and 'additive' posters.
- He participated in Documenta in Kassel in 1964 and 1968.
Entities
Artists
- Almir da Silva Mavignier
- Mário Pedrosa
- Ivan Serpa
- Abraham Palatnik
- Árpád Szenes
- Willi Baumeister
- Richard Paul Lohse
- Camille Graeser
- Verena Loewensberg
- Nise da Silveira
- Max Bill
- Josef Albers
- Max Bense
- Geraldo de Barros
- Alexandre Wollner
- Alberto Di Fiori
- Fayga Ostrower
- Arthur Luiz Pisa
- Sérgio Camargo
- Maria Bonomi
- León Hirszman
Institutions
- Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo
- Hochschule für Gestaltung Ulm
- Documenta
- Museum für Konkrete Kunst Ingolstadt
- Museum Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt
- Dan Galeria
- Galeria Nara Roesler
- Ulm Museum
- 1ª Bienal de São Paulo
- Verlag Weber & Weidemeyer
Locations
- Hamburg
- Germany
- Rio de Janeiro
- Brazil
- São Paulo
- Paris
- France
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- Ulm
- Kassel
- Ingolstadt
- Frankfurt
- New York
- United States