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].