The art historian and critic Aracy Amaral wrote this analysis of the painting produced in the 1980s, with a focus on the art scene in São Paulo. In addition to naming the predecessors of the artists who made up that generation, the critic gives a detailed account of the growing importance of the art market in the 1980s. She also describes the cultural references that hailed from Germany and Italy as well as noting the recent entry of Brazilian artists into the international art world. Amaral explains the differences between the first and second half of the decade, which began overly attached to painting (in response to the Conceptual generation), then concluded with more emphasis on creating sculpture, objects and installations. She sketches the stylistic trends of the artwork, which reached its peak during the 1985 round of the International Biennial of São Paulo. Finally, the critic highlights certain developments and transformations of the work created by the major artists of that generation starting with that biennial, reflecting on the possible social contribution of the work produced in the late 1980s.

The exhibition BR 80 - Pintura Brasil Década de 80, sponsored by the Instituto Itaú Cultural in São Paulo, represented one of the first efforts to assess the legacy of the art created by that generation. For further analysis of that period written by Aracy Amaral, see the essay “Uma jovem pintura em São Paulo,” published in the book Pintura como meio (São Paulo: MAC USP, 1983) [doc. no. 1111245].

The art historian and critic Aracy Amaral (b. 1930) began her professional work in the 1960s as a researcher, professor, curator and director of cultural institutions. Her close ties to other art critics focused on Brazilian artwork during the past four decades have made her a highly respected critic of Brazilian art.

The art critic Ronaldo [Correia de] Brito also wrote on the painting phenomenon of the 1980s in “Voltas de pintura” [doc. no. 1110980]. There is another text that complements this one, also written by Brito, on the theme seen as “possibility,” which he exemplifies with the works of Eduardo Sued and Jorge Guinle, entitled “Possibilidades de pintura: dois exemplos” [doc. no. 1110973]. The curator Agnaldo Farías gives us his take on the painting of another representative of the 1980s in “O bestiário de Caetano de Almeida” [doc. no. 1111259]. In addition, Ricardo Basbaum proposes the application of a more rigorous theory about the painting produced during that remarkable decade in “Pintura dos anos 80: algumas observações críticas” [doc. no. 1110972].