Cildo Meireles was one of the most important Brazilian conceptual artists.
In Rio de Janeiro, he studied at the School of Fine Arts and at the engraving studio of the Museum of Modern Art. He had his first solo show (drawing) at the Bahia Museum of Modern Art in the mid-60s. He lived in New York from 1971 to 1973. Among the various solo exhibitions he held in Brazil and abroad, we can highlight: Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (1978), Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (1984), retrospectives at the Museu de Valencia, Spain (1995), the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston and New York, the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo and the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (2000). He has also taken part in biennials (Venice in 1976, Sydney in 1984, São Paulo in 1989), the Kassel Documenta (Germany, 1992 and 2002), among other exhibitions on the international circuit.