Geraldo de Barros

Geraldo de Barros was born in São Paulo in 1923 and lived there until his death in 1998. He started his career as a traditional painter, but began an intense period of experimentation with the photographic medium in 1946, which culminated in his Fotoformas exhibition at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) in 1951. The exhibition was a watershed for Brazilian photography and led to de Barros receiving a scholarship to study engraving in Paris. While in Europe he travelled extensively, meeting influential artists and encountering key movements in art and design. He returned to Brazil and established a successful career as an artist and industrial designer. A key figure in Brazillian Concrete, Abstract and Pop art he was a founding member of many influential groups including Grupo 15, Galeria Rex, Grupo Ruptura. He established the design co-operative Unilabor and furniture company Hobjeto Industry. After a series of strokes de Barros began in 1996 to work on a series of collage works using his ‘leftover’ family photographs. Entitled Sobras, de Barros continued to work on the series until his death in 1998.

Works

Installation view at DOCUMENT

Geraldo de Barros, From the series Fotoformas (São Paulo Train Station), 1950, 24h x 20w

Geraldo de Barros, Abstraction from the series Fotoformas (São Paulo Train Station), 1949

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (São Paulo), 1947

Geraldo de Barros, Mouvement giratoire (São Paulo), 1949

Geraldo de Barros, L'ange (Tatuapé, São Paulo), 1948

Geraldo de Barros, From the series Fotoformas (São Paulo), 1949-3

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (Atelier Vieira da Silva, Paris), 1951

Geraldo de Barros, From the series Fotoformas (Paris), 1951

Geraldo de Barros, Chaises Unilabor (São Paulo), 1954-2

Geraldo de Barros, Chaises Unilabor (São Paulo), 1954-1

Geraldo de Barros, Composition (Tatuapé, São Paulo), 1948

Geraldo de Barros, From the series Fotoformas (São Paulo), 1949-2

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (São Paulo), 1949

Geraldo de Barros, From the series Fotoformas (São Paulo), 1949-1

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (Tatuapé, São Paulo), 1948, 20h x 24w

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (from Sobras Series), 1996-1998, Silver gelatin print, Edition of 5

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (from Fotoformas Series), 1950, Silver gelatin print, Edition of 15

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (from Fotoformas Series), 1948, Silver gelatin print, Edition of 15

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (from Fotoformas Series), 1950, Silver gelatin print, Edition of 15

Geraldo de Barros, Hommage à Picasso (from Fotoformas Series), 1949, Silver gelatin print, Edition of 15

Installation view at DOCUMENT

Geraldo de Barros, From the series Fotoformas (São Paulo Train Station), 1950, 24h x 20w

Geraldo de Barros, Abstraction from the series Fotoformas (São Paulo Train Station), 1949

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (São Paulo), 1947

Geraldo de Barros, Mouvement giratoire (São Paulo), 1949

Geraldo de Barros, L'ange (Tatuapé, São Paulo), 1948

Geraldo de Barros, From the series Fotoformas (São Paulo), 1949-3

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (Atelier Vieira da Silva, Paris), 1951

Geraldo de Barros, From the series Fotoformas (Paris), 1951

Geraldo de Barros, Chaises Unilabor (São Paulo), 1954-2

Geraldo de Barros, Chaises Unilabor (São Paulo), 1954-1

Geraldo de Barros, Composition (Tatuapé, São Paulo), 1948

Geraldo de Barros, From the series Fotoformas (São Paulo), 1949-2

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (São Paulo), 1949

Geraldo de Barros, From the series Fotoformas (São Paulo), 1949-1

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (Tatuapé, São Paulo), 1948, 20h x 24w

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (from Sobras Series), 1996-1998, Silver gelatin print, Edition of 5

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (from Fotoformas Series), 1950, Silver gelatin print, Edition of 15

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (from Fotoformas Series), 1948, Silver gelatin print, Edition of 15

Geraldo de Barros, Untitled (from Fotoformas Series), 1950, Silver gelatin print, Edition of 15

Geraldo de Barros, Hommage à Picasso (from Fotoformas Series), 1949, Silver gelatin print, Edition of 15

Press

2021 11.6

Group Exhibition at Pinacoteca of São Paulo

Geraldo de Barros

2021 6.16

The Wall Street Journal Art Review

Geraldo de Barros

2021 6.9

"Fotoclubismo" at MoMA

Geraldo de Barros

2020 5.19

New Acquisition into LACMA Collection

Geraldo de Barros

Publication/Title	Date
Group Exhibition at Pinacoteca of São Paulo Geraldo de Barros	2021 11.6
The Wall Street Journal Art Review Geraldo de Barros	2021 6.16
"Fotoclubismo" at MoMA Geraldo de Barros	2021 6.9
New Acquisition into LACMA Collection Geraldo de Barros	2020 5.19

Exhibitions

2020 7.10–8.29

Elizabeth Atterbury, Geraldo de Barros, Jessica Campbell, Mary Helena Clark, Julien Creuzet, Victoria Fu, Aron Gent, Gordon Hall, Jennefer Hoffman, Norman Kelley, Sterling Lawrence, Laura Letinsky, Christy Matson, Christopher Meerdo, Jonathan Muecke, Erin Jane Nelson, Gordon Parks, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, RO/LU, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Greg Stimac, Andrew Norman Wilson

Interiors

2019 3.1–4.13

Geraldo de Barros

2017 2.25–4.8

Geraldo de Barros

Fortunately, there are remains

Artist	Exhibition	Dates	Type
Elizabeth Atterbury, Geraldo de Barros, Jessica Campbell, Mary Helena Clark, Julien Creuzet, Victoria Fu, Aron Gent, Gordon Hall, Jennefer Hoffman, Norman Kelley, Sterling Lawrence, Laura Letinsky, Christy Matson, Christopher Meerdo, Jonathan Muecke, Erin Jane Nelson, Gordon Parks, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, RO/LU, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Greg Stimac, Andrew Norman Wilson	Interiors	2020 7.10–8.29	Past
Geraldo de Barros	Geraldo de Barros	2019 3.1–4.13	Past
Geraldo de Barros	Fortunately, there are remains	2017 2.25–4.8	Past