SP arte, Brazil's major art show, opens today in São Paulo

Currently, Brazil's most important art fair is the SP Arte, which opened Thursday in São Paulo.



There is a record number of galleries showing - 80 - including most of the top Brazilian ones as well as galleries from invited countries, such as Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Portugal, Spain and France. A whopping 2000 art works are on show and guest curators were brought in from the MoMa and London's Tate Modern.

First launched in 2005, SP Arte has put São Paulo on the global art circuit.

Prices start at a mere 300 reais. The show has some of Brazil's greatest names well represented, like the modernist José Pancetti (1902-1958) and Mira Schendel (1919-1988), the latter also the subject of a show currently at New York's MoMA.

Fortes Vilaça gallery has a great new piece by graffiti artists (and media darlings) Osgemeos, a panel called Rodopiando, priced at US$ 80 000 (a bargain, I think), which you can see in the photo above. There's also a work by Brazil's best-known artist, New York-based Vik Muniz, going for US$ 144 000. Other big names with works on sale include Botero (pictured at top), Cildo Meireles, Di Cavalcanti, Ismael Nery and Beatriz Milhazes. And more: Waltercio Caldas, Ivan Serpa, Janaina Tchape, Rodolpho Parigi, Tunga, Nuno Ramos, Regina Silveira… and even some work by foreigners, like David LaChapelle, Pablo Picasso, Saint Clair Cemin, León Ferrari.

Here is a link to a great slideshow of many of the pieces on show.

And here is an image of a work being offered by the cutting edge Galeria Leme:



In a building adjacent to the Bienal, the Lina Bo Bardi Auditorium of MAM - Museum of Modern Art of São Paulo, there will be a series of cultural events including a talk on art.


Pavilhão da Bienal.
Parque do Ibirapuera, portão 3, tel. (55-11) 3094-2820. Friday, 2PM until 10PM. Weekend, noon to 8PM.

More on art in Brazil on this blog:

1. The best of Brazilian street art on show at Choque Cultural gallery
2. Choque Cultural gallery and a show of American art
3. Osgemeos open a show in Rio
4. Vik Muniz opens show at the Masp, in São Paulo
5. Artist Iran do Espírito Santo opens his house in São Paulo to the blog