The Congresso Internacional Extraordinário de Críticos de Arte (CIECA) took place in Brasilia, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro from September 17 to September 25, 1959. The theme of the event—“A cidade nova, síntese das artes”—was proposed by critic Mário Pedrosa, who presided over its inauguration and closing. The lectures of the foreign critics and architects who participated in the congress generated important debates on the production of art and architecture in Brazil.
In 1955, Polish historian and art critic Werner Haftmann, along with German critic Arnold Bode, created Documenta, the international art exhibition held in Kassel, Germany; Haftmann curated the first three editions of the event. From 1968 to 1974, he was the director of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. Haftmann was interested in communicating modern art in the post-Nazi era; he was an advocate of new artistic proposals such as Abstract Expressionism and Pop art. Haftmann’s contribution to the event on the “Nova Cap” (Brasilia) resonated with the ideas that Lucio Costa put forth in 1953 in a celebrated article in which he defended himself against the biting criticism that Max Bill had leveled against him that year, after Bill had been awarded the sculpture prize at the First São Paulo Biennial (1951).
For further reading on the CIECA, see Vera Pacheco Jordão’s “O feitiço contra o feiticeiro” (doc. no. 1110411); Mário Pedrosa’s “A cidade nova, síntese das artes” (doc. no. 1086503) and “Lições do congresso internacional dos críticos” (doc. no. 1086667); and Lucio Costa’s “A crise da arte contemporânea” (doc. no. 1110342).
