De Barros

Geraldo de Barros played a pivotal role in shaping the modernist art scene in Brazil and left an indelible mark on the international art community. At the age of 26, the artist took part in the creation of the laboratory and photography course at the São Paulo Museum of Art, where he held his solo show “Fotoformas” in 1950. In 1951 he attended the HfG – Hoschule für Gestaltung – School of Form, Ulm, Germany. He was one of the founders of the groups Ruptura, 1952 and Rex, 1966. He took part in a few editions of the São Paulo International Biennale and of the Venice Biennale, Italy, in 1986. His retrospective exhibition “Sobras e Fotoformas” was shown at the Ludwig Museum, Cologne, Germany, 1999 and at the Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2000. He was one of the exponents of vanguard in Brazilian art, a precursor of concrete art and pioneer in abstract photography. He was also active as a furniture designer from the mid 50’s (Unilabor) until the end of the eighties (Hobjeto), deeply involved both in the function of design and in the social structure of the economy he was actuating in.