Claudio FONSECA (1949-1993)

José Claudio CAVALCANTI DA FONSECA, known as Claudio FONSECA (1949–1993) Forte Sāo Joāo visto do Morro Cara de Cão [Fort São João seen from Morro Cara de Cão], 1983

Pastel on paper

Signed and dated lower left

Signed, dated, and localized on the reverse

34 x 49 cm

Provenance: Former collection of the art critic and historian Roberto Pontual (1939–1994)

José Claudio Cavalcanti da Fonseca (1949–1993), known as Claudio Fonseca, was a Brazilian architect and artist. He represented Brazil at the Paris Biennale in 1985 and participated in numerous international exhibitions, including the 18th São Paulo Biennale and the landmark exhibition "Como Vai Você, Geração 80?" [How Are You, 80s Generation?], a pluricultural movement born at the School of Visual Arts of Parque Lage (Rio).

A Brazilian-born journalist, historian, and art critic, Roberto Pontual was a central figure in the cultural exchanges between Latin America and Europe. Involved in the Neo-Concrete movement in Rio de Janeiro as early as 1959, he dedicated himself to the systematic documentation of his country's artistic creation, notably publishing a Dictionary of Plastic Arts in Brazil in 1969. His institutional career was marked by curatorial positions at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro and curating the Brazilian pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1980. Settling in Paris in 1980, he worked as a cultural correspondent and advisor for major institutions such as the Paris Biennale and the Maison de l’Amérique Latine. An expert renowned for his vision of "sensitive geometry," he directed landmark exhibitions, including Modernidade at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1987. His theoretical work culminated in 1990 with the co-publication of a definitive reference book on 20th-century Latin American painting.