Calder e a Arte Brasileira outlines a dialogue between 32 works by the North-American and 28 by Brazilian artists. Some knew him personally, in the 40s and 50s, such as Abraham Palatnik, Lygia Clark and Hélio Oiticica. Others were influenced by his work, such as the contemporary Ernesto Neto, Franklin Cassaro, Carlos Bevilacqua, Cao Guimarães e Rivane Neuenschwander.

In a paper written at the request of Itaú Cultural to be included in the pamphlet it prepared on Calder, journalist Letícia Ramos describes how the North-American sculptor’s work influenced one of the most important movements of Brazilian modern art in the 1950s.

Read here about some of the works that Itaú Cultural features in the exhibition, such as Scarlet Digitals, which has not been shown in over 60 years, has never been in Brazil, and has been with the artist’s family.

Please find below a sample of the exhibition’s photos. To find all images for download, with captions and photographers’ credits, click here. Please note the guidelines for publication of such materials.

The artist was born in 1898 in the state of Pennsylvania, United States, into a family of artists. As a child, he was given tools and a workshop where he made toys and jewelry for his sister’s dolls. In his twenties, Calder moved to New York, where he studied at the Art Students League and produced his first paintings. He worked for the National Police Gazette, illustrating sporting events and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey Circus.