Two of the most important art galleries in São Paulo – and in Brazil – are completing 50 years of activity: Raquel Arnaud and Luisa Strina. Both were pioneers in founding spaces inspired by the American gallery model, which seeks aesthetic coherence through the selection of a small group of represented artists.
Galeria Raquel Arnaud came into being in 1973 under the name Gabinete de Arte. The space moved through several addresses in São Paulo and today operates in Vila Madalena, the bohemian and creative district of the São Paulo state capital. The artists represented by Arnaud include Waltercio Caldas, Carlos Cruz-Díez, Arthur Luiz Piza, Sérvulo Esmeraldo, Iole de Freitas, Maria Carmen Perlingeiro, Carlos Zilio and Tuneu.
Its 50 years are being celebrated with the exhibition Cinco Décadas de Arte: 50 Anos da Galeria Raquel Arnaud, curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti and Marina Schiesari.
Galeria Luisa Strina, in turn, was founded in 1974 with a focus on Brazilian conceptual artists. In this way, it helped to consolidate the careers of names such as Antonio Dias, Cildo Meireles, Tunga and Waltercio Caldas. Today it represents emerging Brazilian artists such as Alexandre da Cunha, Fernanda Gomes and Marepe; Latin Americans such as Carlos Garaicoa, Jorge Macchi, Juan Araujo and Pedro Reyes; as well as names of international importance, such as Alfredo Jaar and Anna Maria Maiolino. Galeria Luisa Strina is located in the Jardins district of São Paulo.
Both featured in the Folha de S. Paulo article on the presence of women in leadership positions in the art world in Brazil – see our summary.
