Brazilian WWII Art Resurfaces in London Exhibition After 80 Years

A forgotten collection of 168 framed photographs created by 70 Brazilian artists during World War II has been revived in London. Originally intended to support Brazilian aviators and boost morale, the project was rejected by the Royal Academy in 1944 and subsequently lost in British archives. Now, Brazilian embassy staff in London have curated 'A Arte da Diplomacia: Modernismo Brasileiro Pintado para a Guerra,' reuniting works by 20 of the original artists. The exhibition is curated by embassy cultural promoter Adrian Locke and displayed at the Sala Central de Arte Brasileira within the embassy in Westminster. This revival coincides with a surge of major solo shows by contemporary Brazilian artists across London in 2026, including Cinthia Marcelle at Modern Art Oxford, Luiz Zerbini at South London Gallery, Paulo Bruscky at Richard Saltoun Gallery, Beatriz Milhazes at White Cube Bermondsey, and the collective OPAVIVARÁ! at Tate Liverpool. Milhazes describes her work as aiming to provoke optical movements and disturb vision through layered color and form, creating a 'Diálogo entre Simbolismo e Materialidade.' Her show includes her first tapestry. The original wartime project requested only 25 pounds from the Royal Academy to cover shipping, but the artists themselves reportedly disliked the results, though aesthetic approval 'wasn't the point.'