Arthur Piza's Endowment Fund and Prize Foster Franco-Brazilian Artistic Exchange

The Arthur Luiz Piza Endowment Fund, based in Paris, preserves the artist's legacy and administers the Piza Prize, fostering artistic exchange between France and Brazil. Established after Piza's death in 2017, the fund is managed by a six-member council and is dedicated to creating his catalogue raisonné. The prize, founded by Piza and his wife Clelia in 2014, annually awards a French or Brazilian artist a month-long residency in the other country, with no production obligations. Past laureates include Jérôme Benitta and Fabricio Lopez, who collaborated on a joint exhibition. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 winners, Jeremy Chabaud and Santídio Pereira, will undertake their residencies in 2022. Arthur Piza, born in São Paulo in 1928, moved to Paris after participating in the 1st São Paulo Biennial in 1951 and became a central figure for Brazilian artists in the city. From the 1960s, he and Clelia provided a support network for Brazilian exiles following the 1964 coup, later focusing on artistic circles. Clelia Pisa independently promoted Brazilian literature, facilitating French editions of works by Carolina Maria de Jesus and Clarice Lispector. Piza was closely connected to artists like Sérgio Camargo, Lygia Clark, and Julio Le Parc, and co-founded the Latin American Space in Paris in 1980, which operated until 1993.