Public and private agents in the fields of modern art and architecture: Rio-São Paulo + Brasília (1950s-1980s)

• Grant number: 20/04534-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: August 01, 2020
• End date: February 01, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Fundamentals of Architecture and Urbanism
• Principal Investigator: Ana Lucia Duarte Lanna
• Grantee: Leandro Leão Alves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 22/09903-2 - Art, architecture and diplomacy: Itamaraty's actions abroad since the 1940s, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

The inauguration of Brasilia (1960) and the development of an art system in the Rio-São Paulo axis, mainly around the Modern Art Museums and the São Paulo Biennial, are fundamental milestones in the construction of Brazil's modern national identity in the second half of the 20th century. These two events, unrelated at first glance, became, from the 1950s, fundamental points for the fields of architecture and art. The network of relationships that can be established between these two landmarks, and also between the two fields, materializes and is embodied in the set of integrated works of art at the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasilia, insofar as such network influenced the selection of artists and the purchase of works present therein. Through its activities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) purchases, finances and promotes arts in the period, in addition to building an intense dialogue with art institutions in Southeastern Brazil and their representatives. However, the transit between cities and public and private institutions is more complex and extends, in time, beyond the transfer of the MRE to the new capital, completed in 1970. In fact, the transfer of the Ministry coincides with the triggering of a relationship and collaboration network between certain agents. Investigating the acts performed by the State, especially from the perspective of the MRE, in order to consolidate the Biennial and museums in Southeastern Brazil is the object of this research, which work, it is proposed, will be done from the perspective of two important agents: the couple Wladimir and Tuni Murtinho. (AU)