Presentation
Many adjectives could be used to attempt to grasp the complexity of Emiliano Di Cavalcanti’s (1897–1976) life and work. Among them, we highlight three: the militant, which speaks
to his commitment to the struggle for social justice; the bohemian, which reflects his appreciation for a life free of constraints; and the Brazilian, which refers to his relentless
pursuit of representing his country’s cultural identity. These three dimensions are strongly present in the artist’s graphic production.
Although best known as a painter, Di Cavalcanti began his artistic journey through drawing, which he embraced as a space of thematic and stylistic freedom, dialogue with other artists,
and rich experimentation. While this aspect of his work is less disseminated and studied, it is well represented in a collection of 561 drawings assembled by the artist himself, now part
of the MAC USP collection. It is the largest set of works by Di Cavalcanti housed in a single museum institution in Brazil, covering his production from 1920 to 1950.
This exhibition is the result of a postdoctoral research project and, for the first time, presents a significant selection of Di Cavalcanti’s drawings in light of his biography. Visitors
are invited to explore his works guided by a detailed timeline and to view them in relation to those of other contemporary artists. This approach lends his production a logic shaped by the
historical events that marked Brazilian art and culture during the first seven decades of the 20th century.
Throughout his career, Di Cavalcanti experienced the dilemmas of an artist of humble origins, born into a family of plantation owners, military men, and abolitionists, who would later
become one of the leading figures of Brazilian modernism. His representation of the Afro-Brazilian population, communist political activism, conversion to Catholicism, and opposition to
abstractionism are just a few facets of someone who embodied the ambiguities of his time. While in the 1920s Di Cavalcanti celebrated dark- or brown-skinned women—then referred to as
“mulatas”—as positive symbols of national identity, over the years he transformed them into stereotypes, reinforcing prejudices that have left deep scars in contemporary society. By
contextualizing the artist’s life and work, this exhibition seeks to offer an opportunity to assess his intentions and contradictions through the lens of our present time.
Helouise Costa
Marcelo Bortoloti
Curators