An Art of Resilience: Popular Art from Brazil in the R.F. Collection

Masterpieces of Brazilian folk art depicting spotted animals, traditional characters and modern society

Brazil’s folk artists have long been admired for their detailed handicrafts. In a time of roaring art prices and increasing critique on what is worth collecting, folk art offers a fresh and uninhibited artistic exploration of life and humanity. An Art of Resilience showcases the R.F. Collection of Brazilian folk art: human or animal figures made from carved wood or sculpted clay, painted with vibrant colors and with playful attitudes. Most of the pieces come from Pernambuco, the Jequitinhonha Valley and Niteroí, and include works by the well-known ceramicist Mestre Vitalino (1909–63). This guide divides the collection thematically: from animals, work, exploitation and solidarity to learning, playing and relaxing and the figurines made specifically for Bumba Meu Boi, or the “Ox Play”: a Brazilian annual interactive play where the lower classes mock the upper classes.