Abaporu, 1928

Tarsila do Amaral, also known simply as Tarsila, is one of the most eminent names of early Brazilian modernism. Born to a family of coffee plantation owners who actively encouraged her to study in Paris, she engaged in what she called a sort of ‘Cubist bootcamp’ under Fernand Léger, among others. Upon returning to Brazil after several trips to Europe, she began to reject everything she had learned, calling for a more indigenous art. With her husband, the poet Oswalde de Andrade, she became a part of the Grupo dos Cinco (Group of Five), and it was her painting Abaporu (1928) that influenced his Manifesto of Anthropophagy (i.e., cannibalism) which called upon artists to ‘eat’ European art only to fully digest it in order to produce something entirely new. Presented here is a selection of the artist's drawings and iconic paintings, which synthesize the essence of her work.

Tarsila do Amaral (born 1886 in Brazil) had dedicated solo shows at the MoMA, New York (2018), and at the MASP, Sao Paulo (2019). She died in São Paulo in 1973.