Gallerist Waldir Simões de Assis on artists' estates, building reputations, and the next generation

Cícero Dias, Carmelo Arden Quin, and the legacies of the Brazilian avant-garde 

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Clément Dirié: What did you do before you opened your gallery in Curitiba in 1984?Waldir Simões de Assis Filho: I worked as an architect for a while, during which time my interest in art took me to museums, exhibitions, and artists’ studios in search of works for my projects. Because I needed to focus more on just one of these two disciplines, I chose the one that brought me the most satisfaction – art. At the beginning of 1984 I was encouraged by Gilberto Chateaubriand – a prominent Brazilian patron and collector – to open my gallery. This was during the exhibition of his collection at the Museum of Modern Art in São Paulo. He introduced me to several artists who were part of his collection, and they ended up being represented by my gallery.CD: Has your previous work as an architect influenced your way of being a gallerist?WSAF: Without a doubt, my architectural training has steered me toward modern art and Latin American movements dedicated to geometry and kinetic art, such as Brazilian Concretism and Neo-Concretism – artistic languages with which I identify myself.CD: Can you recall what the Brazilian art scene was like in the 1980s?WSAF: At that time, Brazilian art was strongly marked by a generation of artists working toward new figurative expressions, who were shown in the landmark 1984 exhibition ‘Como vai você, Geração 80?’ [‘How Are You Doing, 80s Generation?’], held at the Parque Lage School of Visual Arts in Rio de Janeiro. This exhibition introduced artists who have a national and international presence today, such as José Leonilson, Jorge Guinle,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7301/Beatriz-Milhazes" target="_blank">Beatriz Milhazes</a>, Gonçalo Ivo, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8852/Daniel-Senise" target="_blank">Daniel Senise</a>. All these artists participated in the exhibition ‘80s Generation: Audacity and Affirmation’, which took place at our gallery in 2015. As with the 1984 exhibition, it was curated by Marcus Lontra.

CD: You specialize in modern Brazilian art, mainly working with estates. Could you tell me more about what that involves?WSAF: A gallery representing artists’ estates must be concerned not only with the acquisition and commercialization of their work, but also with organizing museum exhibitions, publishing books, cataloging. This helps to ensure their work gains a footing in the market and offers a safe investment.CD: There are two artists in particular who are important to your gallery –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/27474/C%C3%ADcero-Dias" target="_blank">Cícero Dias</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/19598/Carmelo-Arden-Quin" target="_blank">Carmelo Arden Quin</a>. Could you tell me more about them?WSAF: An icon of Brazilian modernism, Cícero Dias [1907–2003] came to prominence in 1928, when he had his first exhibition in Rio de Janeiro with Tarsila do Amaral and Di Cavalcanti, two members of the 1922 Modern Art Week group. In 1937 he moved to Paris and became involved with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6746/Pablo-Picasso" target="_blank">Pablo Picasso</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6732/Alexander-Calder" target="_blank">Alexander Calder</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7552/Fernand-L%C3%A9ger" target="_blank">Fernand Léger</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/9213/Joan-Mir%C3%B3" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, and the poet Paul Éluard. During the war he settled in Lisbon, where his work underwent a radical change, leading him to say farewell to figuration as he moved toward abstraction. In 1945 he returned to Paris and joined the School of Paris, the Groupe Espace, and the Galerie Denise René, where many of his exhibitions were held. As the critic Antonio Bento has written, ‘In Brazil, the Constructivist movement began only at the end of the 1940s. Its true pioneer was Dias, who in 1946 in Paris, was painting rigorously geometric canvases.’ In Brazil, in 1948, he painted the first abstract art murals in Latin America. From the 1950s onward he had an strong international presence – at the Venice and São Paulo biennials, for example. He died in Paris in 2003.The Uruguayan Carmelo Arden Quin [1913–2010], who cofounded the Madí movement, was one of the artists at the vanguard of Latin American art in the 1940s, with a similar presence that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/6989/Joaqu%C3%ADn-Torres-Garc%C3%ADa" target="_blank">Joaquín Torres-García</a> had in the 1930s. Torres-García returned to Montevideo in 1934, at that point a prominent name in the Paris avant-garde. His work and theories were a source of aesthetic information and education. In 1935, Quin&nbsp;made contact with him, and a mutually enriching relationship developed. Quin settled in Buenos Aires in 1937 and was soon engaging in local circles – the years 1945 and 1946 were frantically intense. The Madí group was created, bringing together Quin, Gyula Kosice, Rhod Rothfuss, and Martín Blaszko. It divided because of internal differences, and Quin left for Paris toward the end of 1947. From 1949 to 1956 he participated in the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, and had exhibitions with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1530/Galerie-Denise-Ren%C3%A9" target="_blank">Denise René</a> and Colette Allendy. In 1950 he created the Madi Research and Study Center in Paris to expand the movement internationally. Michel Seuphor, Félix Del Marle,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/10206/Auguste-Herbin" target="_blank">Auguste Herbin</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/18302/Georges-Vantongerloo" target="_blank">Georges Vantongerloo</a> were close to him.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7511/Ellsworth-Kelly" target="_blank">Ellsworth Kelly</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8890/Jack-Youngerman" target="_blank">Jack Youngerman</a>, who were living in Paris at that time, saw Madí works. Many years later, back in the US, they called their works ‘shaped canvases.’ Unmistakably Madí!

CD: Why did you open a branch in São Paulo?WSAF: It was a long-standing intention. Our presence on the art circuits of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro has always been constant, through art fairs and institutional shows that we have organized and collaborated with. We very quickly realized how important involving our artists in a dynamic circuit was to helping them forge relationships with our clients and collectors, as well as the institutions. The new space in São Paulo brings together both galleries of the family and initiates a dialogue between generations in their exhibitions.CD: SIM Galeria, run by your children, participated in the Positions sector of Art Basel in Miami Beach this year. Are you pleased about having this continuity?WSAF: Guilherme and Laura were born into the artworld. From the start they have been in contact with great artists by following our path. They may have graduated in law and business administration respectively, but they have never strayed far from art. When they returned to Brazil after having studied art in New York and London, they decided to open&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1868/SIM-Galeria" target="_blank">SIM Galeria</a>. The idea of creating a contemporary art gallery absolutely came from them, without any prompting from anyone else, which was very gratifying. The family is now even more united – by our mutual love for art.

The&nbsp;interview was first published in Art Basel | Year 49. Find out more<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/about/yearbook-suppliers" target="_blank"> here</a>Top image:&nbsp;Waldir Simões de Assis Filhos in his gallery in&nbsp;Curitiba. Courtesy of Simões de Assis, Curitiba and São Paulo. Photo by Sergio Guerini.

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