50 years: Galeria Raquel Arnaud

Galeria Raquel Arnaud Celebrates Its 50th anniversary as a beacon of contemporary art. The gallerist’s legacy is celebrated with the exhibition 50 years: Galeria Raquel Arnaud. Curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti, the show features rare documents and publications alongside works that will be alternated throughout the exhibition’s duration

The exhibition 50 years: Galeria Raquel Arnaud, a historical retrospective of pivotal moments in Brazilian contemporary art since the 1970s, opened in São Paulo on February 22. Curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti, it showcases how Raquel Arnaud established a clear and coherent artistic vision by promoting renowned artists such as Amilcar de Castro, Willys de Castro, Waltercio Caldas, and Iole de Freitas, among others.

According to the curator, the gallery’s role in bolstering contemporary art takes center stage in the narrative presented in the exhibition. “There is even a sort of contradiction when highlighting Raquel’s trajectory in the exhibition, considering that works of art and artists have always held the most significant position in her life. However, now, shifting attention to the history of the gallery, rather than the works themselves, Raquel becomes the focus”, says Visconti.

The gallery’s history is materialized in a timeline that comprehensively lists all the exhibitions held at the gallery. It includes unique documents such as catalogues, invitations, brochures and other publications—often produced by the artists themselves—which visitors can see and manipulate. This five-decade history, consistently documented, is the protagonist of the exhibition and occupies the gallery’s walls, its most prominent space. Therefore, more than 40 artworks are presented on displays that allow visitors an unobstructed view of the versos, labels and signatures on pieces by Sergio Camargo, Hércules Barsotti, Sérvulo Esmeraldo and Mira Schendel.

Over the years, this dialogue, with its emphasis on concrete, kinetic, abstract, and geometric movements, is synonymous with the curatorial work of Raquel Arnaud, whose exhibitions have showcased a wide range of artists, including Vik Muniz, Regina Silveira, and Lygia Clark. Focused on visual experimentation and attentive to international trends, the gallerist brought big names in kinetic art such as Jesús Rafael Soto and Carlos Cruz-Diez.

50 years: Galeria Raquel Arnaud   
Running from February to May, the exhibition will have a unique dynamic due to the rotation of works. “We will have a series of conversations with artists who play an important role in the gallery, and over the months we will bring in outstanding works to create a continuous and lively dialogue”, states Visconti. He also points out that, by changing artworks featured, the gallery will allow the public to see pieces by several painters and sculptors which could not be exhibited all together at the same time due to space limitations. At the end of the semester, the gallery will launch a publication on its 50th anniversary, with texts by intellectuals, critics and curators who have been part of the institution’s history.

Information
50 years: Galeria Raquel Arnaud
Address: Rua Fidalga, 125–Vila Madalena, São Paulo, SP.
Opening: February 22
Exhibition period: February 22 to May 24

Visiting hours: Monday to Friday, 11am to 7pm / Saturday, from 11am to 3pm. Free entry. Website / Instagram.