
The birth of modernism in Brazil: ‘A young, ambitious nation trying to express itself’
Alastair Smart | Christie’s | 23rd January 2025
Modernist thinking, once thought exclusively European, was, at the start of the 20th century, also happening elsewhere. Brazilian artists, facing a conservative art establishment, engaged with Europe’s avante garde and began developing a modern visual identity. Given Brazil’s diversity, its art is complex, limiting its international profile. At least one critic dislikes this London survey of 10 major artists but even he concedes that they have given modernism “funk and fun”.