Architecture Exhibitions in Brazil, a Brief History

Agnaldo Farias | Architecture Exhibitions in Brazil, a brief history Architecture Exhibitions in Brazil, a brief history Agnaldo Farias* Translation: Escritório de Tradução (USJT) *Professor at FAUUSP. He is currently curator of the Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Curitiba. Was General Curator of the Tomie Ohtake Abstract Institute (2000/2012) and today is Curatorial Counse- The history of architectural exhibitions in Brazil is permeated by erratic movements, generally divergent lor of the same institution. initiatives, most of them endowed with initial originality and vigor, but which rapidly decline. Few survive, and when this happens, they are characterized by non-linearity, both with regard to the irregular periodi- Was also curator of MAMRJ city of exposures and the oscillation of the results obtained. An unstable picture, you see, to some extent (1998/2000) and curator of in tune with what also happens with art exhibitions, even though these are much more consolidated. The Temporary Exhibitions at MA- following text gives a concise account of the recent history of these exhibitions, beginning with a des- CUSP (1990/1992). Was Cura- cription of the failed project of an architecture curator at the “Museu de Arte de São Paulo” (São Paulo tor of the Brazilian Pavilion of Art Museum) in the early 1990s. He goes on to mention an exceptional initiative that took place in Rio de 54 a. Venice Biennale (2011), Janeiro in the second half of the same decade, until arriving at the Tomie Ohtake Institute and Museu da General Curator of the 29th. Casa Brasileira, both São Paulo institutions responsible for two consistent programs, although sensitive Bienal de São Paulo (2010), of to the circumstances of a fragile system. There is also an edition of the São Paulo Architecture Biennial, the Brazilian Representation whose success contrasts and reinforces a history marked by outrages. of the 25th. (1992) and Deputy of the 23rd. (1996). Keywords: Exhibitions. Mounts. Museografia. usjt • arq.urb • issue 20 | september - december 2017 135 Agnaldo Farias | Architecture Exhibitions in Brazil, a brief history In 1992, Fábio Magalhães, curator at the Museu Eisenman’s exhibition was quite daring for a de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) and former Art His- country where modern thought had a great influ- tory professor at the Mackenzie University, want- ence and “postmodern” was generically seen as ed to expand the exhibition program of the insti- bad. This is how Robert Venturi, Ricardo Bofill, tution which was designed by Lina Bo Bardi. He Richard Meier and Zaha Hadid were seen, Eisen- invited Anne Marie Sumner, architect and profes- man’s paradigm contrasted with a corbusieran sor, to design an architecture exhibition program matrix, and his work is still popular nowadays. in the best art museum in Brazil, that like other museums in São Paulo and other capitals, did Anne Marie Sumner traveled to New York to meet not have architectural shows. It was about time Eiseman and she said he reacted to the invitation for that to happen since architectural exhibitions skeptically. Yet, she was motivated by her fellow have the undeniable merit of introducing emerg- curator and her fearless willingness to work on a ing propositions, reviewing historical productions project of highest standards, and also because through varied re-readings and, in Brazil, fertiliz- there was nothing to lose but the time dedicated ing the interventions in a dramatically vast coun- to design the exhibition. So, she accepted the try both in its history and geography. challenge. Sumner was dedicated to arrange with the museum the necessary conditions to carry Sumner, a meticulous researcher and professor, out the project and in the strikingly impeccable ran an active office and was the author of an in- exhibition “Malhas, Escalas, Rastros e Dobras na triguing research about Minimalism and Architec- Obra de Peter Eisenman / Griddings, Scalings, ture relations. She thought the most impactful way Tracings and Foldings in the work of Peter Eisen- would be to display Peter Eisenman’s artwork. man”, opened in 1993 (Figure 1), with exquisite usjt • arq.urb • issue 20 | september - december 2017 136 Agnaldo Farias | Architecture Exhibitions in Brazil, a brief history scale models, photos and urban sheets. There great Brazilian museum is going to be used to in- was a catalog with the same title containing the troduce the complexity of our panorama. In order exhibited material as well as critical texts by Otília to do so, it is necessary to reflect on some of its Arantes and Sophia Silva Telles, a profound in- causes, starting from the lack of debates on the terview with the historian Nicolau Sevcenko, and emerging national and international architectural the article “The End of Classicism: The End of the production and what was taught in schools, in Beginning, The End of the End” by Eisenman. general the uncritical transfer of modern notions. Curiously, this was the side effect of our success- The exhibition had a great impact on the archi- ful modernity: Niemeyer in the front: the catatonic tectural scene, which was not used to this kind reverence of masters such as Sérgio Bernardes, of architecture exhibitions in general, especially Oscar Niemeyer, Affonso Reidy, Vilanova Artigas, with such quality. Eisenman’s presence was well- Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Lina Bo Bardi, João Fil- celebrated and his lecture had a large attendance, gueiras, among others. We tried to honor these therefore, MASP’s exhibition was off to a great great contributions, when actually we were scat- start. But, when Sumner was talking to Eisenman, tering it. In this provincial context, for the most to her surprise, he confessed that the exhibition established architects and the institutions that had surpassed all his expectations and that he were associated with them, international archi- had never seen an exhibition of such quality (i.e. tecture shows (with examples of recent produc- so complete and expensive). A complete irony, tion) were almost needless, besides they were ex- since the system of the Brazilian museums are in pensive and far from attracting the attention and Figure 1. Exhibition catalog (cover): “Malhas, Escalas, Rastros a permanent instability. Architecture is far from be- resources of arts sponsors. e Dobras na Obra de Peter Eisenman / Griddings, Scalings, Tracings and Foldings in the work of Peter Eisenman”. Sour- ing important to the artistic production because it ce: Sumner (1993). is preferably addressed to a professional category. Anne Marie Sumner graduated in the late 1970s. So how could a program of architecture exhibi- Like her peers, she was marked by the impor- tions of such magnitude like Sumner’s be imple- tance architecture had in culture, especially after mented? It would not be possible, and it still is not. the postmodernism outbreak, a plethoric notion for good and evil. Her generation witnessed the But the result of this story could not be more iron- creation of the Venice Biennale and architecture ic: the “Malhas, Escalas...” exhibition was the first museums, copious publications everywhere, ur- and last architecture program at MASP. ban interventions in Paris, London, Buenos Aires, etc. Not to mention the booming editorial field. The peculiarity of the failure of what would have In fact, it should be noted that in 1960 “The Ar- been the first architecture exhibition program of a chitecture of the City” by Rossi and “Complex- usjt • arq.urb • issue 20 | september - december 2017 137 Agnaldo Farias | Architecture Exhibitions in Brazil, a brief history ity and Contradiction in Architecture” by Venturi still outdated, even after upgrading the Brazilian were published in 1995. House Museum (MCB) and the opening of Insti- tuto Tomie Ohtake (ITO), both in 2000. During this The young architects struggled against the lack period, it is also important to highlight Vitruvius of progress in the architectural environment but website and magazine in the editorial industry, without much success. And in the eagerness to due to the effort of Abilio Guerra critic and cura- engage in this debate, it was predictable that the tor, and the publishers Martins Fontes and Cosac result of situations such as the one described , & Naify (due to the financial crisis in Brazil, Cosac typical of a confused environment, where the & Naify shut down in 2016). The X Architecture conjuncture, the objective conditions, the goals Biennale in São Paulo was held in 2013 and cu- to be achieved, and the strategies were not prop- rated by Guilherme Wisnik. Since this event is erly evaluated. In case of MASP’s exhibition, the a topical action and does not have a plan to be curator can also hold responsibility. implemented throughout the years, it should be analyzed separately. Despite the failure of Eisenman’s show, the Cent- er for Architecture, Urbanism, and Infrastructure MCB and ITO could implement a reasonable pro- (CAUI) was inaugurated in the late 1990s. Luiz Pau- gram of architecture exhibitions within rational lo Conde was the only mayor architect ever elected budgets that were distributed moderately by the in the city Rio and he was responsible for the CAUI marketing directors of sponsoring companies, es- foundation. Under Jorge Czajkowski’s command, a pecially ITO, that unlike the state-owned MCB, is consistent program of exhibitions, publications and a private non-profit institution. The sponsors – as debates was set up, along with expectations from marketing directors – are skeptical about architec- architect community. By this time, things were more ture shows because they are not as attractive as refined and observant, and at the same time with the arts. The tiring negotiations between curators relative capacity to attract the laymen who were and people responsible for the company’s budget beginning to understand the importance of archi- transformed Brazilian museums and cultural cent- tecture and urbanism in their lives.

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