Rubem Valentim's Afro-Brazilian Legacy Reclaimed in São Paulo Exhibitions

exhibition · 2026-04-23

In São Paulo, two exhibitions are reexamining the work of Bahian artist Rubem Valentim (1922-1991), pushing back against narrow interpretations of his art as solely constructive or mystical. The shows, 'Rubem Valentim: Construções Afro-Atlânticas' at MASP (November 14, 2018 - March 10, 2019) and 'Rubem Valentim: Construção e Fé' at Caixa Cultural (October 7 - December 6, 2018), offer a blended perspective on his artistic approach. Curators Fernando Oliva and Marcus Lontra highlight the art market's tendency to limit Valentim's recognition to the Rio-São Paulo narrative, overlooking the significance of Candomblé and Afro-Brazilian heritage. The MASP exhibition showcases 80 paintings and 12 sculptures, while Caixa Cultural features approximately 60 paintings and one sculpture. Valentim’s 1976 piece, 'Manifesto Ainda que Tardio,' underscored his connections to Afro-Brazilian culture, making this reassessment particularly relevant in today's political context in Brazil.

Key facts

Rubem Valentim (1922-1991) was a Bahian painter, sculptor, and printmaker.
Two major exhibitions of his work were held simultaneously in São Paulo in late 2018/early 2019.
The MASP exhibition 'Rubem Valentim: Construções Afro-Atlânticas' ran from November 14, 2018, to March 10, 2019.
The Caixa Cultural exhibition 'Rubem Valentim: Construção e Fé' ran from October 7 to December 6, 2018.
Curators Fernando Oliva and Marcus Lontra critique the art historical framing of Valentim as merely a constructive artist.
Valentim's work is deeply informed by symbols from Candomblé and Umbanda, such as the arrow of Oxóssi and axe of Xangô.
In his 1976 manifesto, Valentim stated his art emerged from Afro-Brazilian cultural values and sought a universal language with Brazilian character.
The reappraisal of his work is linked by curators to contemporary Brazilian politics and violence against Black communities.

Entities

Artists

Rubem Valentim
Fernando Oliva
Marcus Lontra
Mário Cravo Jr.
Carlos Bastos
Raymundo de Oliveira
Lilia Schwarcz
Helio Menezes
Lisette Lagnado
Marta Mestre
Marielle Franco
Moa do Katendê
Montez Magno
Mari Ra
Zé di Cabeça
Fabio Miguez
Adenor Gondim
Tomás Toledo
Alana Silveira
Luciano Feijão
Renato Lopes
Nicolas Soares
Ronaldo Domingues de Almeida
Adriana Machado
Paulo Bruscky
Luciara Ribeiro
Naine Terena
Khadyg Fares
Tadeu Kaingang
Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui
Antônio Bispo dos Santos
Nêgo Bispo
Julio Bittencourt
Guilherme Wisnik
Daniela Thomas
Hannah Arendt
Marlene Barros
Betânia Pinheiro
Fábio Nunes
Júlia Martins
Claudia Alarcón
Adriano Pedrosa
Laura Cosendey
La Chola Poblete
Sandra Gamarra Heshiki
Santiago Yahuarcani
Colectivo Acciones de Arte
Damián Ortega
Sol Calero
Carolina Caycedo
Pablo Delano
Rosa Elena Curruchich
Manuel Herreros
Mateo Manaure
Jesús Soto
Deborah Paiva
Tadeu Chiarelli
Walter Benjamin
Iberê Camargo
Jasper Johns
Henri Matisse
Marie Laurencin
Nuno Ramos
Marcos Amaro
Russet Lederman
Olga Yatskevich
Miguel Del Castillo
Anna Atkins
Elizabeth B. Brownell
Eslanda Cardozo Goode Robeson
Annette Messager
Angèle Etoundi Essamba
Hiromix
Claudia Andujar
Maureen Bisilliat
Gretta Sarfaty
Vilma Slomp
Claudia Jaguaribe
Anna Mariani
Stefania Bril
Thalita Hamaoui
Ana Paula Cavalcanti Simioni
Jorge M. Pérez
Rogério Medeiros
Catalina Bergues
Rafael Hayashi
Lázaro Roberto
Hélio Menezes
Ivald Granato
Maria Alice Milliet
Christian-Jack Heymès
Felipe Rezende
Claudio Cretti
Guilherme Teixeira
Andrea Brazil
Ana Avelar
Darks Miranda
Flávia Metzler
Ivan Cardoso
Yuli Yamagata
José Augusto Ribeiro
Hélio Oiticica
Zé do Caixão
Maria Noujaim
Georg Heinrich von Langsdorff
Ludwig Riedel
Néster Rubtsov
Aimé-Adrien Taunay
Hercule Florence
Wilhelmine von Langsdorff
Antonio Florence
Francis Melvin Lee
Lalo de Almeida
Paula Sampaio
Miguel Chikaoka
João Pompeu
Mônica Guimarães
Moacir dos Anjos
Francisco Brennand
José Cláudio
Aracy Amaral
Cao Guimarães
Marcelo Silveira
Flavia Renault
Paula Borghi
Belony Ferreira
Paula Ramos
Mestre Didi
Ayrson Heráclito
Rodrigo Moura
Abdias Nascimento
Paulo Pedro Leal
Jean Boghici
Carlos Lacerda
Alberto Henschel
Mônica Cardim
Juca Rosa

Institutions

MASP
Caixa Cultural São Paulo
Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand
Galeria Galatea Salvador
Nara Roesler
Museu de Arte do Espírito Santo (MAES)
Movimento Grevista Negro
Secretaria da Cultura (Secultes)
Fundo de Cultura do Estado do Espirito Santo (Funcultura)
Política Nacional Aldir Blanc (PNAB)
Ministério da Cultura (MINC)
Midiateca Capixaba
Sesc Sorocaba
Capela João de Camargo
Clube 28 de Setembro
CAIXA Cultural
Phi Projetos
Cinnamon
Governo do Brasil
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Belo Horizonte (CCBB BH)
Ateliê Marlene Barros
Ponto de Cultura Coletivo ZBM
Universidade de Aveiro
Coleção Jorge M. Pérez
El Espacio 23
Janaina Torres Galeria
FAMA Museu
10×10 Photobooks
IMS - Instituto Moreira Salles
Biblioteca de Fotografia
Getty Research Institute
Museo Reina Sofía
Rijksmuseum
New York Public Library
Paris Photo
Livraria da Travessa
Simões de Assis
Galeria Estúdio Reverso
NND|Azeco
NONADA SP
DAN Galeria
SP-Arte
Casa de Cultura do Parque
Projeto 280X1020
Instituto de Cultura Contemporânea (ICCo)
Lei Rouanet
banco BV
Laranjinha
Banco Itaú
Biblioteca Brasiliana Guita e José Mindlin - USP
Instituto Hercule Florence
Documenta Pantanal
BBM-USP
Centro Maria Antônia da USP
Império Russo
Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
Coleção Cyrillo Hercules Florence
Itaú Cultural
Ilê Asipá
Pina Luz
Centro de Pesquisa e Formação do Sesc
PGHEA-MAC/USP

Locations

São Paulo
Brazil
Salvador
Bahia
Rio de Janeiro
London
United Kingdom
Rome
Italy
Brasília
Espírito Santo
Vitória
Sorocaba
Belo Horizonte
Minas Gerais
La Puntana
Argentina
Gran Chaco
Paraguai
Miami
United States
EUA
Itu
Nova York
Los Angeles
Madri
Spain
Amsterdã
Netherlands
Recife
Pernambuco
Olinda
Zona Leste paulistana
Jardim Paulista
Vila Nova Conceição
Centro
Alto de Pinheiros
Cidade Universitária
Porto Feliz
Mato Grosso
Grão-Pará
Amazônia
Pantanal
Avenida Paulista
Praça da Sé
Praça da Liberdade
Rua Chile
Av. Jerônimo Monteiro
R. Barão de Piratininga
Alameda Lorena
Rua Domingos Fernandes
Praça da Bandeira
Rua Estados Unidos
Av. Prof. Fonseca Rodrigues
Rua da Biblioteca
Avenida Europa
Rua Mourato Coelho
Vila Madalena
Rua Anunze
Boaçava
Santo Antônio da Patrulha
Rio Grande do Sul
RS
Praça da Luz
Bom Retiro
Rua Dr. Plínio Barreto
Bela Vista
Tietê
Amazonas
Ilha de Itaparica
Recôncavo Baiano
Algarve
Portugal
Fortaleza
Ceará
Tóquio
Japan
Mumbai
India
Pequim
China
Jacarta
Indonesia
Switzerland

Sources

ARTE!Brasileiros — 2018-11-30
ARTE!Brasileiros — 2018-10-16