This book, from the ABC—Arte Brasileira Contemporânea—collection published by FUNARTE, is about Antônio Dias. The book was written by the critic Paulo Sergio Duarte, who suggests that the artist’s work shattered standards and showed that foreign referents no longer made sense. According to Duarte, Dias’ work “encourages challenging art’s production and circulation mechanisms from within.” Dias dismisses the idea of the viewer’s visual self-satisfaction: “by subverting the ‘reading’ and its consumption, [the artist] imposes reflection with no contemplation.”

Antônio Dias (b. 1944) was an outstanding figure in the Brazilian “nova figuração” [nouvelle figuration] movement in the 1960s. He took part in landmark exhibitions such as Opinião 65, Opinião 66, [see in the ICAA digital archive by Frederico Morais “A Opinião Brasileira de 66” (doc. no. 1110550)] and in Nova Objetividade Brasileira, the most famous event of the 1960s.

Dias moved to Paris in the late 1960s, then to Milan, Italy and then to Cologne, Germany. During this period he was working in several different languages (installation, film, records, painting, objects, and so on). He is also known for his interest in conceptual and experimental work. Despite his rejection of such pigeon holing, Dias is one of Brazil’s major international representatives in these fields.

[As complementary reading, see by Mario Baratta “Importância de Antônio Dias” (doc. no. 1110513); and by the artist, “Arte ‘brasileira’ não existe” (doc. no. 1075066)].

Paulo Sergio Duarte has been a well-known critic, curator, historian, and cultural administrator since the late 1970s. [For additional information on Duarte, see his articles “Estéticas espontâneas num centro urbano da Paraíba: o exemplo da casa” (doc. no. 1111206); (untitled) [“A parte do fogo é uma publicaçao para intervir…”] (doc. no. 1110674); and “O espetáculo do fetiche” (doc. no. 1111399)].