Judith Lauand, Brazilian Concrete Art Pioneer, Dies at 99

Judith Lauand, the only female figure in the Brazilian Concrete art scene, has died. Her artistic path began in 1952 when she was captivated by geometric abstraction at the Ruptura exhibition at São Paulo's Museum of Modern Art. Inspired by Max Bill, she collaborated with artists like Geraldo de Barros and Waldemar Cordeiro, blending structured designs with vibrant colors. After earning her fine arts degree from Escola de Belas Artes, she took on teaching. In 1954, at the Bienal de São Paulo, she was invited by Cordeiro to join the movement. Lauand shifted from figurative art to geometric pieces across different mediums, exhibiting at the 1956 First National Exhibition of Concrete Art and the 1965 Bienal de São Paulo. Her first European show occurred in 2013 at the Stephen Friedman Gallery in London. MASP held two retrospectives of her work, one in 2011 and another showcasing 128 pieces, which she couldn't see due to her preference for privacy.