Ana Maria Belluzzo, the Brazilian art historian, discusses the links between Brazilian primitivism and modernism, specifically within the context of the “anthropophagus movement” that was active in the years following the publication of the group’s manifesto, written by Oswald de Andrade in 1928. This essay is about the paintings produced by Tarsila do Amaral (1886–1973) during that period. It should be noted that in 1995, shortly after this essay was written, Amaral’s painting Abaporu (1928) was purchased by the collector Eduardo F. Costantini—founder of MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires)—for the highest price ever paid for a Brazilian painting, making it an iconic work of Brazilian modernism.
On the subject of Tarsila do Amaral’s work, see by Mário de Andrade “Tarsila” [doc. no. 781921] and “Tarsila” (manuscript) [doc. no. 781938].
The researcher and art critic Ana Maria Belluzzo has worked extensively in the field of Brazilian modernism and modernist art. She is a teacher at the FAU-USP (Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo de la Universidade de São Paulo), and is the coordinator of the Brazilian team working on the ICAA project “Critical Documents of 20th Century Latin American and Latino Art.” Other essays and articles by Ana Maria Belluzo are “Os surtos modernistas” [doc. no. 808443]; “Introdução: atualidade e memoria” [doc. no. 1111300]; and “A propósito d’o Brasil dos Viajantes” [doc. no. 1111299].