The return of Mira Schendel to Brazil

After more than a decade without representation in the country, the work of Mira Schendel (1919-1988) finds a new home at Gomide&Co, marking a significant moment for modern and contemporary art in Brazil. The partnership aims to widen the artist's presence on the national and international stage, with exhibitions, publications and special projects that reinforce her legacy and her impact on art history.

‍

Considered one of the most inventive artists of the 20th century, Mira Schendel revolutionised the use of language, of emptiness and of materiality in art, exploring themes such as metaphysics, poetry and philosophy. Her work, held by institutions such as MoMA (New York), Tate Modern (London) and Reina Sofía (Madrid), always kept a dialogue with concretism and neo-concretism, but with a singularity that places her beyond classification.

With the new representation by Gomide&Co, the Schendel family seeks to consolidate the artist's presence in Brazil, ensuring that her production continues to be studied, shown and valued. “The partnership with Gomide&Co represents a new and exciting chapter for Mira's legacy. The gallery shares our vision of preserving and expanding recognition of her work”, says Max Schendel, the artist's grandson and co-administrator of the Mira Schendel Estate.

‍

‍

One of the most inventive aspects of Mira Schendel's production was the use of paper as the main support of her artistic enquiry. Her monotypes, mandalas and graphic objects explored the materiality of paper in a singular way, creating a visual vocabulary that challenged the relationship between form, word and space.

According to Thiago Gomide, co-founder of Gomide&Co, that dimension of Mira's work deserves still greater recognition: "One of Mira's great legacies was her understanding of the power of paper. She used it, folded it, crumpled it, pigmented it and created with it. That material was essential to her artistic thinking."

‍

‍

Max Schendel stresses the importance of dispelling the idea that painting is better preserved than paper: "There are works by Mira from the 1950s that are intact, impeccable. Our commitment is to widen that understanding and ensure that her work reaches new audiences in a coherent and organised way."

‍