Leading this initiative is the ABERTO project, founded in 2022 by Filipe Assis, renowned for reimagining the art exhibition as a living cultural organism through its deep connection with modernist architecture. For the first time, this panoramic exhibition of Brazilian art, from Modernism through Neoconcretism to Contemporary Art, travels beyond Brazil’s borders, landing in Paris for a landmark edition inaugurating on 14 May promises to gathers major collectors, both Brazilian and French. In this fourth chapter, ABERTO invites viewers into an immersive and sensorial journey, reimagining the domestic space as a curatorial and emotional force. An homage to memory, audacity, and the enduring legacy of modernism, just as France and Brazil open the curtain on a year of unprecedented cultural collaboration.
A Living Conversation in Modernism: Geometry and Space for Feeling
Previously set within legendary Brazilian residences designed by Oscar Niemeyer, Vilanova Artigas, Ruy Ohtake, and Chu Ming Silveira, ABERTO has consistently redefined the exhibition format, activating spaces as living extensions of the artworks they host. This fourth chapter unfolds at Maison La Roche, a modernist masterpiece conceived between 1923 and 1925 by Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier in collaboration with Pierre Jeanneret. Originally commissioned by art collector Raoul La Roche, the house now serves as the headquarters of the Le Corbusier Foundation and holds an extensive archive of the architect’s work.
Curated by Lauro Cavalcanti, Kiki Mazzucchelli, and Claudia Moreira Salles, the exhibition transforms every corner of the house into a vibrant organism of artistic dialogue. It stages encounters between Le Corbusier’s radical spatial vision and the richness of contemporary Brazilian creativity. From seminal works by key figures of Brazilian modernism as Roberto Burle Marx, Lygia Clark to bold interventions by today’s leading designers and artists, visitors are invited to explore how the Swiss-French master’s legacy continues to reverberate across Brazil’s artistic landscape.
The exhibition also offers a historiographic dimension: archival materials and works on loan from the Oscar Niemeyer Foundation, the Burle Marx Institute, and the Lúcio Costa Estate illuminate the deep-rooted connections between European and Brazilian modernism, tracing a shared lineage of innovation, form, and utopian ideals.
Among the highlights, a special edition of Ana Maria and Oscar Niemeyer’s iconic Marquise reissued in red in collaboration with ETEL pays homage to the architect’s signature use of the curve, reaffirming its status as a symbol of Brazilian modernist design.
Leading Brazilian galleries including Almeida Dale, Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, Mendes Wood DM, Luisa Strina, and Nara Roesler participate in the exhibition, joined for the first time by France’s Galerie Mennour, marking a meaningful bridge between the two cultural spheres.
Le Corbusier’s famous dictum “a house is a machine for living in” finds renewed resonance within the context of ABERTO. While his vision drew on the purity and efficiency of industrial design, it was never divorced from the human dimension. As founder of L’Esprit Nouveau, Le Corbusier imagined architecture not merely as shelter, but as a framework for collective life, a manifesto on how to inhabit the world together.
In this spirit, his architectural language aligns unexpectedly yet beautifully with the sensorial poetics of Brazilian Neo-Concretism. Conceived for active, participatory audiences, these worksmuch like the contemporary Brazilian pieces presented in the exhibition, invite touch, movement, and a heightened awareness of the body in space. ABERTO thus stages a rare dialogue: between the rational geometry of modernism and the intuitive, tactile sensitivity that defines much of Brazil’s artistic identity.
ABERTO
Oppening on invitations only: 13 May, 2025
Public exhibition: From May 14 to June 8, 2025
Villa La Roche: 10 Square du Docteur Blanche – 70516, Paris
Artists: Aluísio Carvão, Amílcar de Castro, Anna Maria Maiolino, Antônio Tarsis Beatriz Milhazes, Cicero Dias, Erika Verzutti Hélio Oiticica, Juan Araujo, Lais Amaral, Le Corbusier, Liuba Wolf Luísa Matsushita, Luiz Zerbini, Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, Marcius Galan, Maria Klabin, Maria Martins, Marina Simão, Mauro Restiffe, Milton Dacosta, Mira Schendel, Roberto Burle-Marx, Sandra Cinto, Sergio Camargo, Sidival Fila, Sonia Gomes, Sophia Loeb, Tunga.
From De Stijl to Neo-Concretism: Your Journey Through Iconic Influences on Brazilian Art and Architecture
In parallel with the ABERTO program, Sophie Su Art Advisory offers an exclusive opportunity to delve into two monumental modernist landmarks, each echoing profound influences on Brazilian art and architecture. These iconic spaces Villa André Bloc and Maison Theo van Doesburg serve as portals to understanding the rich exchange between European movements and Brazilian modernism.
The guided visits will unfold over two special days in May. On Thursday, May 15th, the journey begins with exclusive access to two architectural landmarks: Villa André Bloc and Maison Theo van Doesburg, where radical European ideas helped shape the trajectory of Brazilian modernism. Then, on Friday, May 16th, guests will enjoy an in-depth, curator-led tour of ABERTO Paris at Villa La Roche, an immersive exhibition that brings Brazilian art into vibrant dialogue with Le Corbusier’s modernist masterpiece.
Reservations are required for both tours and can be made by filling out the form at the link below. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to connect with the spaces and ideas that shaped generations of artists.
Villa André Bloc, a fusion of sculpture and architecture, stands as a testament to the evolution of modernist thought. Its design sparked the Neo-Concretist movement in Brazil, inspiring artists like Lygia Clark and Hélio Oiticica. Bloc’s work did not only inform the Brazilian avant-garde but also left an indelible mark on the organic forms embraced by Oscar Niemeyer, whose architecture continues to shape the Brazilian landscape today.
André Bloc was an influential French architect in the early 20th century. His work and his role in publishing the magazine L’Architecture Vivante helped spread modernist ideas that would impact Brazilian architects. The magazine was a leading platform for European modernism, featuring projects by architects like Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, whose ideas would profoundly shape Brazilian modern architecture.
Villa André Bloc, his house studio in Meudon is a fusion of sculpture and architecture, stands as a testament to the evolution of modernist thought. Meudon became the main site for Bloc experimental ideas. It was there that he created his iconic sculptures-habitacles, [habitable sculptural structures ]that blurred the boundaries between art and architecture. The first, made of plaster, was lost over time, but two others remain: a concrete structure with white arches and vaults, which gained fame in the 1966 film Who Are You, Polly Magoo?, and a geometric, labyrinthine tower built as a belvedere to observe Paris.
Its design sparked the Neo-Concretist movement in Brazil, inspiring artists like Lygia Clark and Hélio Oiticica. Bloc’s work did not only inform the Brazilian avant-garde but also left an indelible mark on the organic forms embraced by Oscar Niemeyer, whose architecture continues to shape the Brazilian landscape today.
The house was acquired over 30 years ago by gallerist Natalie Seroussi, who has since served as a guardian of his legacy.
In 1930, Theo van Doesburg published the six foundational principles of Concrete Art in the first issue of Art Concret Magazine in Paris, establishing a theoretical framework for a form of geometric abstraction entirely free from figurative references. Rooted in the De Stijl movement, his ideas laid the groundwork for a new visual language based on clarity, precision, and structure. Decades later, van Doesburg’s vision would resonate across the Atlantic. In São Paulo, his theories found fertile ground and played a pivotal role in shaping Brazilian Concretism. Artists like Waldemar Cordeiro and the Ruptura Group drew directly from this European lineage to develop their own radical and innovative forms, redefining the trajectory of modern art in Brazil.
This journey invites you to explore how these European pioneers helped shape Brazilian modernism, creating a rich dialogue between two continents and numerous artistic revolutions. Far from being a mere historical tour, it is a journey through space and time where architecture, art, and theory converge in ways that continue to resonate today.
Explore now our complete and exclusive guide that reveals the most unmissable exhibitions by Brazilian artists in the global spotlight. In this special edition, we delve into the exhibitions that are moving museums and galleries around the world – from New York to Venice – with works that celebrate the creative power of contemporary Brazil.
What’s more, we’ve included a careful selection of the main events of the France-Brazil season, which is gaining momentum with unprecedented collaborations, intercultural dialogues and artists who challenge the boundaries between tradition and innovation.