Exhibition "100 years of Paulo Vanzolini, the bohemian scientist"

On the centenary of the birth of Paulo Vanzolini (1924 – 2013), Brazilian composer responsible for classics such as Ronda e Come back on top, Sesc São Paulo presents an immersion into the artist's life, revealing not only his musical side, but also the trajectory of the internationally renowned zoologist. The exhibition 100 years of Paulo Vanzolini, the bohemian scientist takes place at Sesc Ipiranga from August 28, 2024, and continues until March 16, 2025. Created by the scientist's children, art director and filmmaker Toni Vanzolini and psychologist Maria Eugênia Vanzolini, the exhibition is curated by Daniela Thomas, renowned set designer, filmmaker and theater director.

"The symbolic date of the centenary of Paulo Emilio Vanzolini, our father, motivated us to think of an exhibition that would show a little of the plurality of this Brazilian who listened, translated, researched, wrote, sang and thought of a good, diverse and inclusive Brazil. Who always valued knowledge and art, making both his greatest legacy. The universe of this interested and interesting character, 'bohemian scientist', as Antonio Candido defined him, is what we want to show in this exhibition”, anticipates Toni Vanzolini.

Without losing sight of the bohemian and artistic side of the honoree, the exhibition revisits the scientific expeditions and contributions to science undertaken as a herpetologist, specializing in the study of reptiles and amphibians. Sesc Ipiranga as a space for the exhibition has a special symbolism: its proximity to the Zoology Museum of the University of São Paulo (MZUSP), where Paulo Vanzolini worked for five decades – three of those as director.

"Some figures are unavoidable in the history of a city or a country. Some are even unavoidable on the planet. This is the case of our honoree in this exhibition, Paulo Vanzolini, who would have turned 100 years old this year and who spent most of his life here at Sesc Ipiranga, directing the USP Zoology Museum, his home. Or one of his houses, since he felt perfectly integrated into the landscape on a walk in the forest, in his laboratory or in the bar, among musicians or among the greatest intellectuals of his time”, highlights Daniela Thomas. “A unique man, with a supernatural intelligence, an inventiveness that produced unforgettable verses such as 'recognize the fall and don't be discouraged, get up, shake off the dust, turn around' and revolutionary theories in zoology, and an almost authoritarian determination, characteristics that made him this achieving power that we celebrate now".

In partnership with the USP Zoology Museum, the exhibition displays to the public 51 preserved specimens of animal species identified and cataloged by Vanzolini. These specimens, loaned by the Museum to Sesc, are highlighted in a room that recreates a zoology laboratory.

Five thematic rooms reveal Vanzolini's multifaceted trajectory, covering more than half a century of research. The exhibition highlights his celebrated Amazonian expeditions and the connections between art and science that he fostered. Documents, photographs and videos offer a glimpse behind the scenes of the remarkable discoveries of the “bohemian scientist”, a nickname affectionately given by Antonio Cândido, sociologist and literary critic, in the album's booklet. Reckoning by Paulo Vanzolini (2002). This compilation presents 52 compositions by the scientist, performed by renowned artists such as Chico Buarque, Paulinho da Viola and Martinho da Vila.

Along the exhibition route, illustrations by Alice Tassara guide visitors through Vanzolini's trajectory, in a biographical chronology that highlights aspects of his academic training and his circle of friends with intellectuals, artists and icons of Brazilian popular music. 

What to find at the exhibition 100 years of Paulo Vanzolini, the bohemian scientist

Check out details about the spaces that make up the exhibition spread across Sesc Ipiranga below.

Laboratory Room

The space is a reproduction of a laboratory that portrays the zoologist's daily life, highlighting the stages of the systematization processes. Instruments such as microscopes are displayed on the work table, as well as a panel that elucidates aspects of Refuge Theory. The room also brings together species on loan from the USP Zoology Museum, presented on a panel with rotating cubes that identify and contextualize each one of them. Illustrations by Gabriela Dássio complement the environment, enriching the visual experience of visitors.

Amazon Expedition Room

An immersive sound and visual installation designed to simulate a walk through the Amazon rainforest, enriched by illustrations by Danilo Zamboni, which capture the richness of the biome's biodiversity. The experience seeks to measure the grandeur of the Amazon fauna and flora. On the walls of the environment, visitors will find a variety of detailed information about the region's biodiversity, worrying data about deforestation and a reflection on the crucial importance of the Amazon for the planet's balance.

Room on board the Garbe

The space invites the public to dive into Vanzolini's universe of multiple interests and adventures, intertwining science, art and culture.

Here, the public can embark on one of Vanzolini's trips to the Amazon rainforest aboard the Garbe boat – part of the Permanent Expedition to the Amazon (EPA), a project led by the scientist for two decades. In 1975, this expedition crossed the Madeira River, from Manaus to Porto Velho. Among the Garbe's crew was José Cláudio da Silva from Pernambuco, introduced to Vanzolini by his friend Arnaldo Pedroso d'Horta, an artist and journalist who also accompanied him on expeditions to the Amazon. Over the course of two months of travel, José Claudio portrayed on one hundred canvases the diversity of Amazonian fauna and flora, as well as the vastness of the rivers and the daily lives of riverside communities.

Reproductions of these works, which were compiled in the book José Claudio da Silva: 100 canvases, 60 days & a travel diary – Amazonas, 1975 (Impresso Oficial, 2009) and today are part of the collections of Palácio dos Bandeirantes, headquarters of the state government of São Paulo, are displayed in the room. The environment also features an extensive panel with a map of the Madeira River, showing where each of these works was created and offering the public an immersive experience, which allows them to “relive” the expedition.

Bohemian Room

Accustomed to nightlife, Vanzolini developed as a composer at bar tables and samba circles, creating a peculiar method of writing music. Despite not mastering any instrument, he conceived the structure of most of his more than 70 songs, with the support of friends Adauto Santos and Luiz Carlos Paraná, guitarists and partners at the historic bar Jogral, to shape his melodies and lyrics with harmony and rhythm. In addition to these collaborations, Vanzolini left his mark on music by working with big names such as Waldir Azevedo, Elton Medeiros, Toquinho, Paulinho Nogueira and Eduardo Gudin.

This bohemian characteristic is revered in a room that reproduces the atmosphere of nightlife. Exhibition elements include personalized labels with the names of his most famous compositions, which can be heard by visitors. The scenography of the room, which has a counter, shelves and bar tables, also highlights the names of its great collaborators on tiles. Photographic enlargements of the city of São Paulo, captured by Thomaz Farkas, among others, complete the environment, providing a visual and sound immersion in Vanzolini's musical history.

Overland expeditions

The researcher found inspiration in the scientific expeditions of the 19th century for his own field trips throughout Brazil, where he explored the fauna and flora of the different national biomes. For him, these natural environments were his true workplace. The trips were carried out aboard a Kombi, covering different territories. As he did not drive, his daughter Mariana often took over, or Francisca do Val, known as Chica, who, in addition to being a zoologist, was an illustrator and documented daily journeys. To reveal the behind-the-scenes of these expeditions, a scenographic Kombi will be assembled at the access to Sesc Ipiranga close to Parque Independência and the Ipiranga Museum. This installation brings together photographs and diaries, providing visitors with an immersion in Vanzolini's journeys and discoveries.

Paulo Room by Paulo

Due to his intense immersion in culture and his countless experiences, resulting from his travels throughout Brazil, Vanzolini accumulated a collection of stories and was an excellent storyteller. In this room, which brings together video testimonials, emblematic phrases and excerpts from interviews documented over decades, the public can get closer to Vanzolini, exploring his personal and intellectual legacy in an engaging way. 

From Butantan to the world: about Paulo Vanzolini

Paulo Emílio Vanzolini was born in São Paulo on April 25, 1924. At the age of 10, on a trip to the Butantan Institute, enchanted by the snakes and lizards, he decided that he would dedicate his life to the study of reptiles and amphibians, in the specialty of herpetology. After graduating in Medicine from the University of São Paulo (USP) in 1947, he completed a doctorate in Zoology at Harvard University, in the United States, between 1949 and 1951.

Back in Brazil, he applied his innovative visions at the USP Zoology Museum, organizing sets of preserved animals for research using techniques learned at Harvard, making the São Paulo museum's collection one of the most important in and outside Brazil and increasing the catalog of Herpetology at the institution from 1.200 to more than 220 thousand copies. Reflecting his essential contribution, 15 animal species were named in his honor, such as the lizard Vanzosaura savanicola and the serpent Lygophis vanzolini.

In addition to his role as manager, he was also a postgraduate professor at USP and co-founder of the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (FAPESP). Vanzolini also achieved international recognition when he formulated the Refuge Theory, a hypothesis to explain Amazonian biodiversity developed during his various scientific expeditions and based on studies carried out with the Brazilian geomorphologist Aziz Ab'Saber, and together with the American herpetologist Ernest Williams.

For more than 20 years, during the 1960s and 1970s, the scientist commanded the Permanent Expedition to the Amazon – EPA, carried out aboard the boat Garbe and financed by FAPESP. In these endeavors, Vanzolini established collaborations that resulted in significant contributions not only to science, but also to the visual arts. One example is his partnership with the painter José Claudio da Silva, with whom he shared one of these expeditions in 1975.

The proximity to visual artists stimulated intriguing collaborations. As an example, the zoologist wrote texts for Gerda Brentani's books and invited Aldemir Martins to illustrate his Cape Times, a brief account of his time in the Army in the second half of the 1940s, a time when, at the age of 21, he composed his classic Ronda.

Released on the Fermata label in 1967, Vanzolini's debut album, Eleven Sambas and One Capoeira, had the cover signed by Luís d'Horta. Luís' father, Arnaldo Pedroso d'Horta was not only the trigger for the creation of music Capoeira do Arnaldo, how he was inspired by Vanzolini's work to produce the series of engravings Animal Skeletons. These connections highlight how Vanzolini lived a life deeply intertwined with arts and culture. His interests and curiosity extended beyond his immediate field, encompassing diverse forms of expression.

Paulo Vanzolini passed away in 2013, three days after turning 89 years old.

Service
Exhibition | 100 years of Paulo Vanzolini, the bohemian scientist
From August 29, 2024 to March 16, 2025
Tuesday to Friday, from 9am to 21:30pm. Saturdays, from 10am to 20pm. Sundays and holidays, from 10am to 18:30pm