Mira Schendel
Tate Modern, London, recently inaugurated the first large retrospective exhibition of the work of Brazilian artist Mira Schendel (1919-1988), curated by Tanya Barson, featuring more than 270 drawings and sculptures that represent the oeuvre of one of Brazilian art's most important figures.
The show, titled with the Swiss-Brazilian artist's name, analyzes Schendel's career and her evolution through 14 galleries with paintings, sculptures, and drawings on paper from private collections and from the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo (Brazil), some on exhibit for the first time.
Mira Schendel, born in Zurich to a Jewish family, began her studies in philosophy in the city of Milan, which she was forced to flee in 1938 as the German armies advanced over the European continent. After taking refuge in Austria, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia, Schendel traveled to Brazil when the Second World War (1939-1945) came to an end, and it was in Brazil, in the 1950s, that she created her first, sober canvases, which open the exhibition.
Also featured in the exhibition Mira Schendel are important works created by the artist throughout her career, such as Untitled (1962) and Untitled All (1960-1965), which combine abstract and geometric shapes in a series of black and white canvases, as well as small sculptures and drawings on rice paper created in the 1960s, such as Drouguinhas (1965) and the Writings series (1964).
The exhibition will remain open to the public through January 19th, 2014.
