Alfredo Volpi arrived in Brazil in 1898 with his family. In the 1930s, he joined the Santa Helena Group. His work went against the trends of the era, isolating him and earning him a significant critical reputation in the panorama of modern Brazilian art. He took part in the São Paulo Biennale (1951, 1953, 1955, 1957, 1961, 1979 and 1998) and the Venice Biennale (1952, 1954 and 1964). Retrospectives of his work were held at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro in 1957 and 1972. Since then, many other exhibitions have been held, mainly in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.