A Fair That Is Also a Network, a Market, and a Training Ground
In 2023, ArtRio welcomed over 58.000 visitors, including more than a hundred international collectors and curators, consolidating its position as a bridge between Rio and the global art circuit. The following year, in 2024, the public exceeded 60.000 visitors, who explored the corridors of Marina da Glória among approximately 100 exhibitors. This edition stood out for its bolder architectural configuration and inclusion of plural narratives, with privileged space for Indigenous artists, historically marginalized voices, and experimental proposals that challenged the boundaries of contemporary art.
This energy is driven by fiercely careful curation: committees led by figures such as Alexandre Roesler (Galeria Nara Roesler), Antonia Bergamin (Galeria Galatea), Filipe Masini and Eduardo Masini (Galeria Athena), Gustavo Rebello (Gustavo Rebello Arte), and Juliana Cintra (Silvia Cintra + Box4) ensure a selection that is both panoramic and intimate.
A Bit of History… and Commodity
ArtRio was founded in 2011 and, from its first edition, established itself as one of the largest art gatherings in Latin America. That inaugural year, held at Píer Mauá, brought together 83 galleries, 50 Brazilian and 33 international, and offered the Rio audience an unprecedented immersive experience in the global art market.
The project’s founder was visual artist Brenda Valansi, who had already noticed in 2009 the potential for Rio de Janeiro to host a major international fair. Valansi, who continued to lead the event until 2025, successfully attracted not only collectors and curators but also investors and strategic partners, including Luiz Calainho, Alexandre Accioly, and Elisangela Valadares, who helped consolidate the proposal in its early years.
Over the years, ArtRio has accumulated remarkable moments, many linked to sales of historically and financially significant works. In 2013, for example, a mobile by Alexander Calder, dating from 1945, sold for $18 million, making it one of the absolute highlights of that edition.
In 2025, ArtRio begins a new chapter: Dream Factory, from the Dreamers group, fully assumed the operation of the fair after acquiring the share of its founder, Brenda Valansi, who leaves the project after 15 years. The company had been a partner since 2019 and will now be responsible for the 15th edition, maintaining the same planning and team, with the promise of further expanding access to contemporary art in Brazil.
ArtRio remains a vibrant gathering for artists, collectors, and the public, celebrating contemporary art in Brazil. However, the exemption of ICMS on imported artworks, granted by the State of Rio de Janeiro since 2012, is set to end in 2025. The renewal of this exemption remains uncertain, especially following the implementation of the tax reform that introduced the Imposto sobre Bens e Serviços (IBS) and the Contribuição sobre Bens e Serviços (CBS), replacing taxes like ICMS, IPI, ISS, PIS, and Cofins.
SSAA Exclusive Reports: Highlights of ArtRio 2023 and 2024 Sales
At Sophie Su Art Advisory, we publish exclusive reports on ArtRio sales, with privileged information provided directly by our partner galleries. These reports offer a detailed market overview, helping track trends and identify strategic acquisition opportunities.
ArtRio 2023
The most expensive reported work was by Alfredo Volpi, sold by Almeida & Dale for R$2.850,000 ($580.000). This result confirmed the strength of Brazilian modernists in the secondary market.
ArtRio 2024
The highlight was Lygia Clark, whose work Bicho: projeto para um planeta, 1963, presented by Almeida & Dale, was priced at R$2.700,000 ($497.000). Other significant works included A Árvore da Vida, 1959 by Candido Portinari, offered at R$2.500,000 ($460.000), and an untitled sculpture by Tunga, 2010, shown by Pinakotheke, valued at R$2.000,000 ($368.000).
Art Rio 2025
Make sure you’ve subscribed to receive first hand our exclusive 2025 Art Rio sales report.
The Breath of a Fair That Exceeds Its Own Limits
The programming at Marina da Glória is structured across the Terra and Mar pavilions, hosting the main curatorial programs:
Panorama, bringing together established galleries in large stands (such as Nara Roesler, Galatea, Mendes Wood DM, Casa Triângulo, and many others).
Brasil Contemporâneo, highlighting artistic voices from outside the Rio–São Paulo axis, with attention to the North, Northeast, Midwest, and South regions.
Solo|Duo, featuring individual and paired artist presentations.
Jardim de Esculturas, where large-scale installations rise as standing sculptures.
Programs such as Expansão, MIRA (video art), editorial, FOCO Award, and Conversas ArtRio further expand this festival of senses and ideas.
A special mention goes to the Mar Pavilion, by Guanabara Bay, which reflects the flow of art, and of the city, onto the water.
Click the Gallery Name to Preview
42+DOBRA
Almeida & Dale
Anita Schwartz
A Gentil Carioca
Bordallo Pinheiro
Carmo Johnson Projects
Casa Triângulo
DAN Galeria
Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel
Fólio
Galeria Movimento
Galatea
Gustavo Rebello Arte
Janaina Torres
James Lisboa
Luisa Strina
Lume
Mario Cohen
Marco Zero
Mendes Wood
Maneco Müller
Movimento
Nara Roesler
Paulo Kuczynski
Portas Vilaseca
Pinakotheke
Quadra
Raquel Arnaud
Vermelho
A Path of Flowers, Paintings, and Sculptures Across the City
ArtRio 2025 expands beyond traditional galleries, transforming Rio’s streets into an open-air exhibition with urban interventions in partnership with Clear Channel, featuring artists like Vik Muniz, Djanira Da Motta e Silva, Anna Bella Geiger, Miguel Rio Branco, Lucia Laguna, Mulambo, and Bruno Lyfe. Simultaneously, the Fairmont Rio de Janeiro hosts a poetic activation with two new sculptures by Jorge Mayet, whose works evoke Cuban landscapes, memory, and displacement, creating a dialogue between his suspended houses and trees and the sweeping view of Copacabana.
Parallel Events
Institutions
MAM Rio | Gilberto Chateaubriand: uma coleção sensorial
Parque do Flamengo, RJ
From August 2025 to January 2026
Exhibition celebrating the centenary of Gilberto Chateaubriand (1925–2022), one of Brazil’s foremost collectors. Brings together modern and contemporary works from his collection, organized into five thematic nuclei: Origens, Retratos, Fronteiras, Artistas, and a monumental constellation. A collaboration with Instituto Cultural Gilberto Chateaubriand.
MAM Rio | Anos-Luz, installation by Bia Lessa
Av. Infante Dom Henrique, 85 – Aterro do Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro
From August 29 to November 16, 2025
Immersive 1,845 m² installation with 65.000 meters of elastic, 42 projectors, and a never-before-seen work by Milton Machado. Explores light, space, and connections, relating architecture, movement, and sensory interactivity.
Museu de Arte do Rio | Telma Saraiva and the Fascination with the World
Praça Mauá, 5 – Centro, RJ
From July 12 to an indefinite date
Solo exhibition dedicated to Telma Saraiva’s photo-paintings, which color portraits with technique and imagination. Revisits the history of female photography in Cariri, curated by Bitu Cassundé, Amanda Bonan, and Marcelo Campos.
Museu de Arte do Rio | Nossa Vida Bantu, group exhibition
Praça Mauá, 5 – Centro, RJ
From May 31, 2025, to May 26, 2026
Exhibition on Bantu culture in Brazil, featuring around 50 works by 20 national and international artists. Highlights the cultural, musical, and artisanal impact of African peoples on Brazilian identity.
Museu do Amanhã | Tromba D’Água, group exhibition
Praça Mauá, 1 – Centro, RJ
From July 18 to November 4
Group exhibition with 14 Latin American artists exploring spirituality, ancestry, and the relationship between the feminine and nature. Works in painting, photography, and video art encourage reflection on gender and society.
Museu do Amanhã | Claudia Andujar and her Universe
Praça Mauá, 1 – Centro, RJ
From July 18 to November 4
Exhibition featuring 130 photographs and installations highlighting Claudia Andujar’s work in defense of the Yanomami people and nature. Dialogues with artists of different generations, blending science, spirituality, and sustainability.
CCBB RJ | CORpo Manifesto, by Sérgio Adriano H
Rua Primeiro de Março, 66 – 1st floor – Centro, RJ
From July 23 to September 15
Exhibition featuring 113 works using the body as a political and social tool, exploring Black identity and Afro-Brazilian heritage. Includes 33 new works and combines photoperformance, painting, sculpture, and video, connecting past, present, and ancestry.
CCBB RJ | Frestas, Renata Tassinari
Rua Primeiro de Março, 66 – 1st floor – Centro, RJ
From July 16 to September 22
Exhibition celebrating 40 years of Renata Tassinari’s work, featuring acrylic and object-painting pieces. Explores color, geometry, and interval spaces, bridging painting, sculpture, and architecture.
MAC Niterói | Edo Costantini: Através do Céu Verde
Mirante da Boa Viagem, s/nº – Niterói, RJ
From September 6 to November 23, 2025
First museum solo exhibition by Edo Costantini, curated by Nicolas Martin Ferreira with text by Paulo Herkenhoff. Brings together a decade of work, including large-format photographs, video, installation, and bronze sculptures created in collaboration with Delfina Braun and Delfina Muniz Barreto. Highlights include the film Last Survivors, narrated by Hera Hilmar, and new works inspired by forests, fungi, and the resilience of nature.
CAIXA Cultural RJ | Between Aiyê and Orun, group exhibition
Rua do Passeio, 38 – Centro, RJ
From August 5 to October 26
A group exhibition featuring paintings, drawings, sculptures, and photographs on Afro-Brazilian artistic production, celebrating deities such as Exu, Oxalá, and Oduduwa. The show highlights ancestry, religiosity, and identity, promoting critical reflection on Afro-Brazilian history and culture.
Solar dos Abacaxis | Eterno Vulnerável, by Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro
Solar dos Abacaxis – Rua do Senado, 48 – Centro, RJ
From July 26 to November 1
Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro’s solo exhibition explores art, spirituality, and psychology, presenting 40 new works across painting, installation, and video. Part of the institution’s 10-year celebration, the project reflects on freedom and processes of healing.
Solar Grandjean de Montigny | elataquidentro, Bete Esteves
R. Marquês de São Vicente, 225 – Gávea, RJ
From July 17 to September 14
Bete Esteves’ exhibition integrates sculpture, installation, video, and performance within the historic building, exploring fragments, non-linear narratives, and interaction with architecture. Visitors are invited to imagine and move between ruins and impulses.
Casa Firjan | Workers, Sebastião Salgado
Rua Guilhermina Guinle, 211 – Botafogo, RJ
From May 29 to an indefinite date
Photography exhibition by Sebastião Salgado on transformations of labor, curated and designed by Lélia Wanick Salgado. Discusses trends, technology, and contemporary worker identity.
Sesc Quitandinha | Indigenous Insurgencies, group exhibition
Av. Joaquim Rolla, 2 – Quitandinha, Petrópolis
From May 24, 2025, to February 2026
Group exhibition of indigenous artists in various media, promoting dialogue, memory, and cultural resistance. The concept of “bonfires” organizes gatherings and debates inspired by ancestral practices.
Museu do Jardim Botânico | Botanical Utopia, Fernanda Froes
Rua Jardim Botânico, 1008 – RJ
From March 21 to an indefinite date
Installation with seven cotton panels dyed with Brazilwood pigment, recreating a fragmented Atlantic Forest. Combines historical and contemporary techniques, reflecting on preservation and ecological memory.
Art Galleries
Nara Roesler | Daniel Senise – Comfortably Alive in the Museum
Rua Redentor, 241 – Ipanema, RJ
From August 21 to October 11, 2025
Paintings investigating absence and latency of the image, transforming painting into a space of silence, noise, and expectation. Connects memory and critical perception in times of visual saturation.
Galeria Portas Vilaseca | Ayrson Heráclito: Oríkì Ìwòran
Rua Jardim Botânico, 971 – Rio de Janeiro
From September 9, 2025
Solo exhibition presenting recent works by Ayrson Heráclito, including sculptures, drawings, and video installations. The show explores ebó-arte and Afro-Brazilian ritual practices, merging ancestral knowledge, body, and spirituality. Visitors are invited to engage with a sensorial, performative, and contracolonial experience that transforms aesthetic contemplation into a “devir-ritual.”
Carpintaria | Wanda Pimentel: Journey in Black and White
Rua Jardim Botânico, 971 – RJ
From August 16 to an indefinite date
Initial series with black-and-white animal drawings, revealing graphic vigor and calligraphic experimentation anticipating the artist’s future visual language.
A Gentil Carioca | Vivian Caccuri: NOCETRA
Rua Gonçalves Ledo, 17 – Centro, Rio de Janeiro
September 13, 2025
Performance and exhibition by Vivian Caccuri, curated by Marielsa Castro. NOCETRA unfolds through sound, text, and embodiment, invoking female figures in visceral, poetic gestures that merge voice, body, and space.
Pinakotheke Cultural | O início do mundo
Rua General Olímpio Mourão Filho, 140 – Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro
From September 1 to October 18, 2025
Group exhibition presenting 78 works by 59 women artists from multiple generations. The show explores the poetic and vital role of women as origin, force, and creative driver, inviting viewers to reflect on beginnings and the act of creation across a century of artistic production.
Anita Schwartz Galeria de Arte | Gabriela Machado: Para seu olhar
Rua José Roberto Macedo Soares, 30 – Gávea, Rio de Janeiro
From September 3 to October 11, 2025
Curated by Bruna Costa, the exhibition marks 35 years of Gabriela Machado’s career. It presents five large-format paintings and three ceramic sculptures that evoke the memory of her father’s 18th-century farmhouse, where walls were covered with bird and landscape frescoes. The new works merge density and luminosity, with gestures, transparencies, and colors that turn painting into an embodied and experimental process.
Silvia Cintra + Box4 | Iole de Freitas, Solo Exhibition
Rua das Acácias, 104 – Gávea, Rio de Janeiro
From August 28 to an indefinite date
New works in steel and paper that create tension between rigid and delicate materials, exploring color, texture, and volume. The exhibition revisits the artist’s classic series, including “Mantos” and “Alga,” with handcrafted painting over stainless steel sculptures.
Galeria Patricia Costa | Beyond Painting, by Carlos Vergara
Shopping Cassino Atlântico, Av. Atlântica, 4240 – Copacabana, RJ
From August 28 to an indefinite date
Features natural pigments and delicate reliefs on canvas, including Brazilwood dye. The work connects Brazilian traditions with contemporary experimentation, resulting from an artistic residency in Bordeaux.
Cassia Bomeny Galeria | Small Stories About the Days and Nights of the World, Marco Tulio Resende
Rua Garcia d’Avila, 196 – Ipanema, RJ
From August 6 to an indefinite date
Exhibition gathers works from two distinct series, oscillating between abstraction and figuration, combining memory, daily life, and universal references such as African masks and classical artists. The poetic journey traverses time, space, and culture, with a restrained palette and intense materiality.
Galeria de Arte Ipanema | Abelardo Zaluar: A redescoberta
Rua Visconde de Pirajá, 516 – Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro
From September 8 to October 18, 2025
Solo exhibition presenting 25 works in vinyl on canvas by Abelardo Zaluar (1924–1987), produced in the 1970s and 1980s. The show highlights the spiritual and humanist dimensions of his geometric abstraction, with a critical text by Gonçalo Ivo, and is accompanied by a catalog documenting Zaluar’s artistic legacy and influence on Brazilian art.