
Forming Abstraction
Art and Institutions in Postwar Brazil
Adele Nelson(Author)
University of California Press
1st Edition
Published on 22. February 2022
Book
Hardback
392 pages
978-0-520-37984-8 (ISBN)
Description
Art produced outside hegemonic centers is often seen as a form of derivation or relegated to a provisional status. Forming Abstraction turns this narrative on its head. In the first book-length study of postwar Brazilian art and culture, Adele Nelson highlights the importance of exhibitionary and pedagogical institutions in the development of abstract art in Brazil. By focusing on the formation of the Sao Paulo Biennial in 1951; the early activities of artists Geraldo de Barros, Lygia Clark, Waldemar Cordeiro, Helio Oiticica, Lygia Pape, and Ivan Serpa; and the ideas of critics like Mario Pedrosa, Nelson illuminates the complex, strategic processes of citation and adaption of both local and international forms. The book ultimately demonstrates that Brazilian art institutions and abstract artistic groups-and their exhibitions of abstract art in particular-served as crucial loci for the articulation of societal identities in a newly democratic nation at the onset of the Cold War.
Reviews / Votes
"Forming Abstraction fills in many gaps and inconsistencies about this period and as such is a welcome addition to extant scholarship and especially to the classroom, where Nelson's clear and engaging prose will undoubtedly be appreciated. More importantly, the author's unique insight paves the way for new possibilities in addressing postwar art in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America, including further research into the racialized, classed, and gendered dimensions of abstract art." * Latin American and Latinx Visual Culture * "Forming Abstraction deftly balances the ideas and practices of individual artists and critics with the motivations of corporate and state patrons and institutions. . . . Nelson's study is necessary reading for students and scholars of modern art in Latin America." * CHOICE *More details
Series
Edition
First Edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Berkerley
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
50 color illustrations, 50 b-w illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 178 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
1270 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-520-37984-8 (9780520379848)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
02/2022
1st Edition
Naval Institute Press
€49.49
Available for download
Person
Adele Nelson is Assistant Professor of Art History and Associate Director of the Center for Latin American Visual Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.