Pinacoteca de São Paulo presents 'Trágico Subúrbio,' a major exhibition of self-taught artist Paulo Pedro Leal
The Pinacoteca de São Paulo has launched 'Trágico Subúrbio,' a retrospective dedicated to the self-taught artist Paulo Pedro Leal (1900–1968). Curated by Pollyana Quintella and Renato Menezes, the exhibit features approximately 50 paintings that highlight the social disparities of Rio de Janeiro during the 1950s and 1960s. Known as PPL, Leal explored themes of inequality and strife, notably through his piece 'Afogamento de mendigos' (1965), which comments on a scandal involving Carlos Lacerda, the governor of Rio. The exhibition is structured into three segments, showcasing Leal's critical perspective of his era. His career took a significant turn in 1953 after he met gallerist Jean Boghici, who facilitated his only solo show. A catalog with new essays on Leal will be published by the Pinacoteca.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Trágico Subúrbio' features about 50 paintings by Paulo Pedro Leal (PPL).
- Curated by Pollyana Quintella and Renato Menezes at Pinacoteca de São Paulo.
- Leal (1900–1968) was a self-taught artist who documented Rio de Janeiro's social conflicts in the 1950s–60s.
- His painting 'Afogamento de mendigos' (1965) depicts a state violence scandal under Governor Carlos Lacerda.
- Gallerist Jean Boghici organized Leal's only lifetime solo show at Petite Galerie.
- Leal's work 'Dragão do Oriente' won an acquisition prize at the Salão Nacional and entered the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes collection.
- The artist was displaced from Rio's Zona Sul to Coelho da Rocha, São João do Meriti.
- A catalog with new essays and a revised chronology accompanies the exhibition.
Entities
Artists
- Paulo Pedro Leal
- Pollyana Quintella
- Renato Menezes
- Heitor dos Prazeres
- Lygia Clark
- Jean Boghici
- Marcus Gordon Brow
- Carlos Lacerda
- Marcelino Pedro Leal
- Afra Maria de Albuquerque
- Luiz Joaquim de Araújo
Institutions
- Pinacoteca de São Paulo
- Petite Galerie
- Museu Nacional de Belas Artes
- Serviço de Repressão à Mendicância
- Salão Nacional
- A Manhã
- ARTE!Brasileiros
- Pina Luz
Locations
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro
- Morro da Viúva
- Botafogo
- Flamengo
- Zona Sul
- Coelho da Rocha
- São João do Meriti
- Lapa
- Guandu River
- Passeio Público
- Central do Brasil
- Verdun
- United States
- Bom Retiro
- Praça da Luz
- Guandu