BRAZIL/BRASIL THE ROLE BRAZIL IS PLAYING IN THE INTERNATIONAL ART WORLD ALEXANDRA REYHL LEIVE 15 MAY 2013 EXECUTIVE MASTER IN ART MARKET STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH SONNEGGSTRASSE 30 8006 ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND [email protected] +41 79 902 9621 THESIS SUPERVISORS: FLORIAN BERKTOLD & DR. NICOLAS GALLEY I hereby certify that this master thesis has been composed by myself, and describes my own work, unless otherwise acknowledged in the text. All references and verbatim extracts have been quoted, and all sources of information have been specifically acknowledged. This master thesis has not been accepted in any previous application for a degree. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................4 CHAPTER 1 HISTORY........................................................................................7 1.1 BRAZILIAN MODERNISM AND THE 1920S THROUGH 1930S ................................7 1.2 NEOCONCRETISM AND THE LATE 1940S THROUGH EARLY 1960S ......................8 1.3 THE MILITARY DICTATORSHIP, 1964-1985 .....................................................18 1.4 THE “REAL PLAN” AND THE 1980S THROUGH 1990S......................................20 1.5 BRAZIL SINCE 2000 .....................................................................................21 1.6 BRICS NATIONS..........................................................................................21 CHAPTER 2 ECONOMY ....................................................................................23 2.1 ECONOMIC CHANGES WITHIN THE LAST TWO YEARS AND PREDICTIONS ON FUTURE GROWTH..................................................................................................23 2.2 INCREASE IN PERSONAL WEALTH AND HIGH NET WORTH INDIVIDUALS ..............24 2.3 TAXES.........................................................................................................27 2.4 THE ECONOMICS OF THE BRAZILIAN ART MARKET ...........................................30 CHAPTER 3 THE COLLECTORS AND THE ARTISTS ....................................32 3.1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................32 3.2 COLLECTORS ..............................................................................................33 3.2.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................33 3.2.2 WHO ARE THE COLLECTORS? .................................................................34 3.2.3 MOTIVATIONS AND TRENDS ....................................................................36 3.3 ARTISTS......................................................................................................40 3.3.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................40 3.3.2 CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS ......................................................................41 3.3.3 ADRIANA VAREJÃO.................................................................................42 CHAPTER 4 THE GALLERIES ..........................................................................49 4.1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................49 4.2 THE BRAZILIAN GALLERIES ...........................................................................50 4.2.1 ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASILEIRA DE ARTE CONTEMPORÂNEA l ABACT..................50 4.2.2 EVOLUTION OF BRAZILIAN GALLERIES ......................................................53 4.2.3 BRAZIL’S YOUNGER GALLERIES ...............................................................55 4.2.4 THE GALLERY COMMUNITY......................................................................57 4.2.5 THE DEMAND FOR BRAZILIAN ART ............................................................58 4.3 THE INTERNATIONAL GALLERIES ...................................................................60 4.3.1 CHALLENGES ........................................................................................61 4.3.2 BRAZILIAN ART IN INTERNATIONAL GALLERY EXHIBITIONS ..........................61 4.3.3 BRAZILIAN ARTISTS IN INTERNATIONAL GALLERY PROGRAMS .....................63 4.3.4 EXPANSION INTO BRAZIL ........................................................................64 CHAPTER 5 ART FAIRS....................................................................................68 5.1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................68 5.2 BRAZILIAN ART FAIRS...................................................................................68 5.2.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE FAIRS..................................................................68 5.2.2 FUTURE GROWTH OF THE FAIRS..............................................................70 5.3 INTERNATIONAL ART FAIRS ...........................................................................72 CHAPTER 6 INSTITUTIONS..............................................................................75 2 6.1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................75 6.2 BRAZILIAN INSTITUTIONS ..............................................................................75 6.2.1 BIENAL DE SÃO PAULO ...........................................................................75 6.2.2 BRAZILIAN MUSEUMS .............................................................................77 6.2.3 DAROS LATINAMERICA ...........................................................................79 6.3 INTERNATIONAL MUSEUMS............................................................................80 6.3.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................80 6.3.2 EXHIBITIONS OF BRAZILIAN ARTISTS ........................................................80 6.3.3 ACQUISITIONS OF BRAZILIAN ART ............................................................81 CHAPTER 7 AUCTIONS ....................................................................................83 CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................87 APPENDIX A CHARTS AND GRAPHS .............................................................90 APPENDIX B SELECTION OF INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ...............................92 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................95 3 INTRODUCTION Emerging. Globalization. Trend. Growth. Booming. Vibrant. Wealth. In recent discussions on Brazil, these are the words I most frequently came across during my research for this paper, many of them followed by question marks. They all refer to Brazil’s incredibly unique position within today’s international art world. Brazil today sits on the cusp. Until the last decade, despite a vibrant art scene and rich history, Brazil remained largely separate from the mainstream art world. And this is why I find the Brazilian situation to be so incredibly interesting, particularly with regard to the art market. Having worked with Latin American Art for several years, I have seen a slow but steady increase in the interest being focused on Brazilian art and collectors both within the market and at museums and galleries. However, the incredible frenzy surrounding Brazil today is something entirely new and very palpable, both within Brazil and internationally. The main questions I am seeking to answer are why there is such a sudden international interest in Brazil, what role Brazil is currently playing in the international art world and how this is likely to develop in the future. I conducted the majority of my historical research through traditional references. As this topic is just beginning to be explored, the research for the remainder of the paper comes from a variety of sources including exhibition catalogues; extensive reading of both Brazilian and European/American political/economic and art-related press; recent wealth studies conducted by private institutions including the 2012 TEFAF Art Market Report; and most importantly through personal interviews conducted with various art world professionals directly involved with Brazil. Of the interviews I conducted, the ones I found the most relevant and are the most frequently cited were with Mônica Novaes Esmanhotto, Manager of Latitude – Platform for Brazilian Art Galleries Abroad and the Associação Brasileira de Arte Contemporânea l ABACT; Ricardo Sardenberg, Curator and VIP Relations Brazil, Art Basel & Art Basel Miami Beach; Mariana Teixeira de Carvalho, Associate Director, Hauser & Wirth and August Uribe, former Senior Vice President, 4 Impressionist & Modern Art (and Latin American Art), Sotheby’s. The answers and opinions provided in these interviews form the crux of this thesis. A list of questions asked during these interviews is included as Appendix B. What unfolded from my research was decidedly more complex than I had been anticipating. There were many opinions that were universal while other aspects were less cohesive. With this I was able to very clearly answer some questions while other questions remain open-ended and I can only offer my opinion. I will begin by introducing the historic and economic background that is necessary to be able to understand the Brazilian art world today, with a particular focus on the NeoConcrete period. This section will also serve to lay the groundwork for some of the intrinsic challenges that threaten the growth