"Tribe of Ethiopia", from the series "Genesis" by Sebastião Salgado. Photo: Edson Queiroz Foundation Collection

O what do the works of Salvador Dalí and Xico Stockinger have in common? What criteria would unite the works of Adriana Varejão and Sérgio Helle? In what context would Vicente Leite's paintings and Chico Albuquerque's photographs be side by side? Connecting iconic works from the 17th century to contemporary art, 50 Duets – 50 years of the Edson Queiroz Foundation seeks to establish another reflection on the history of art. Curated by Denise Mattar, the show features an unprecedented array of works by important artists who are part of the Foundation's collection, uniting them in pairs based on diverse relationships – from visual parallels, thematic and elective affinities, to oppositions.

“My curatorial proposal has a lot to do with the current world where things are connecting in different ways, where people need a faster visualization. We're going to tell a history of art, only, instead of telling it chronologically, we're going to show a history of the thought of art”, explains Mattar. Through videos, photo galleries and texts, the exhibition that celebrates the 50 years of the Edson Queiroz Foundation brings together more than 100 works in a virtual environment, listing them in duets. Among the artists that compose it are Antonio Bandeira, Anita Malfatti, Almeida Júnior, Bonaventura Peeters, Cícero Dias, Félix-Émile Taunay, Irmãos Campana, Frans Krajcberg, Geraldo de Barros, Leda Catunda, León Ferrari, Mariana Palma, Maciej Babinski, Mira Schendel, Raoul Dufy, Sebastião Salgado, Tarsila do Amaral and Tomie Ohtake.

The virtual tour, accompanied by the curator's voice and ideas, takes place through the website of the University of Fortaleza – which hosts the Edson Queiroz Foundation. Walking from room to room, we are introduced to the concepts that guide 50 duets and the relationships that united the different works in their peers. With the density of self-portraits by Iberê Camargo and Ismael Nery; the expressionist melancholy that connects Lasar Segall to Vik Muniz; the similarity that unites the women portrayed by Belmiro de Almeida and João Câmara; Brazilian popular festivals under the eyes of Djanira and Portinari, among so many other connections – some more improbable than others -, the exhibition offers the viewer the opportunity to reflect on the dialogue between works and artists and on the “essence of creation”, as suggests Mattar in his curatorial text. For Lenise Queiroz, president of the Foundation, this is how 50 duets “has its message: it frees the classical history of art from formal frameworks or closed concepts”. Queiroz believes that when artistic standards and aesthetic tastes from different eras fall in love with the show, they reveal how “elastic and multiple is the artistic potential in its modus operandi of sculpting the beautiful to make you think”.

The audience's experience is further enhanced with audios, videos, songs and testimonials. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the duets can currently only be contemplated on the website of the Edson Queiroz Foundation | uniform However, the organizers affirm their intention to open the exhibition to the public in the physical space of the institution.

Service
50 Duets – 50 years of the Edson Queiroz Foundation
Location: Edson Queiroz Foundation website | uniform (access the exhibition by clicking here).
Curator: Denise Mattar
Exhibition period: until December 23


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