DFrom North to South, the national art circuit has been undergoing a beneficial decentralization: in 2022, the Ceará art gallery opened its doors in Fortaleza and the Espírito Santo inaugurated the Governor's House Cultural Park, in Vila Velha. And, last year, events such as 1st Biennial of the Amazons and the traveling exhibition Expanded Northeast: strategies for (re)existence They showed that the eye needs to travel, as the legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland (1903-1989) stated.
In the recently concluded year of 2023, it was Paraná's turn to contribute to this necessary shift away from the Rio-São Paulo axis with the announcement of the inauguration of the Geminiano Momesso Park, an open-air museum in Ibiporã, about 25km from Londrina (PR), created by businessman and collector Orandi Momesso. The opening was marked by the presentation of the sculpture Espaço Arco-Íris (Rainbow Space), by Yutaka Toyota. The monument, designed by the Japanese-Brazilian artist, is composed of two equal parts: the first was implemented in 1995 in the city of Yokohama, Japan. Incidentally, the region where the park is located has one of the largest Japanese communities in the country.
Of the 12 pavilions planned, two have already been revealed: one is dedicated to the São Paulo sculptor Angelo Venosa (1954-2022); the other will house... Pre-Cabralian funerary urns, ingenious objects, folk art, sacred art, art from indigenous peoples, furniture, figureheads, etc. There is also a plan to erect a space for temporary exhibitions, which will bear the name of the painter Raphael Galvez, and will display his works in the intervals between exhibitions. The architecture of the facilities was designed by the São Paulo-based firm Reinach Mendonça. When completed, the pavilions will house approximately 80% of the collection. The Geminiano Momesso Park is scheduled to open to the public in 2025.
THE COLLECTION
A regular visitor to institutions such as the São Paulo Museum of Modern Art (MAM), the Pinacoteca, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC), among others, Momesso also began studying Brazilian art, making "practically daily visits to galleries and antique shops," eventually becoming friends with art dealers in São Paulo and Rio. Initially, his focus was more on oil paintings on canvas, wood, and paper, as well as drawings.
In a later phase of his collecting, Momesso began frequenting the studios of artists such as the painter, sculptor, and draftsman Raphael Galvez (1907-1998) in São Paulo; the painter, draftsman, and muralist Martinho de Haro (1907-1988) in Santa Catarina; and the painter Iberê Camargo (1914-1994) in Rio Grande do Sul, from whom the businessman owns 13 works "of the highest creativity," he asserts. "He was one of the greatest artists in Brazil, but still not recognized enough by the general public," he states.
From the 1980s onwards, Momesso became interested in the work of painter, draftsman and illustrator Paulo Pasta, as well as the members of the Casa 7 studio, such as painter, engraver and graphic artist Rodrigo Andrade, and painter, engraver and photographer Fabio Miguez. In Rio, he became close to art dealers such as Jean Boghici (1928-2015), and also Giovanna and Alfredo Bonino. And in São Paulo, to Peter Cohn, of the Dan Galeria, where he claims to have bought his first Volpi, in addition to works by Chen Kong Fang (1931-2012), "an extraordinary artist".
The collector states that museums and curators have always requested works from his collection for exhibitions such as the grand one. Brazil + 500 Rediscovery Exhibition, presented in 2000 in various spaces within Ibirapuera Park. He also mentions that many critics suggest he hold an exhibition showcasing a selection from his collection, but he considers it "laborious." "Now, at 74 years old, I've decided to show a large part of the collection."
THE GENESIS OF THE PARK
