Maria Martins, a impulsiva, e Marcel Duchamp, o introvertido. Maria Martins, a direta, e Marcel Duchamp, o evasivo. Maria Martins, a brasileira de boa família, e Marcel Duchamp, filho de um tabelião normando. Sua história de amor vulcânica resultou na mais estranha e desconcertante das obras do pai da arte conceitual: Étant donnés, um ambiente escultórico erótico, cuja exibição ao público foi proibida, por vontade do artista, antes de 1969, um ano após sua morte. O que resta de seu amor nessa instalação voyeurista e mórbida em que Eros e Thanatos se entrelaçam intimamente? Isso também faz parte da história da arte.

O encontro dos opostos provavelmente aconteceu em 22 de março de 1943, na abertura da segunda exposição de Maria Martins, na Valentine Gallery, na East 57th Street, em Nova York, simultaneamente a uma exposição das últimas pinturas de Piet Mondrian.

“É fácil perceber o que os atraiu fisicamente um no outro”, observa o americano Francis M. Naumann, em Impossible, The Love Affair between Marcel Duchamp & Maria Martins and the Artwork It Inspired (Abbeville Press, 2026). “Ela tinha uma pele de porcelana, cabelos negros, sobrancelhas bem marcadas, lábios claramente desenhados e olhos negros penetrantes, traços que os homens normalmente consideram irresistíveis. Duchamp, por sua vez, sempre esguio e excepcionalmente sedutor, falava com longas pausas pensativas e, como relataram muitas testemunhas, movimentava as mãos com a graça de um bailarino.”

Um retrato de Maria Martins, feito em 1941, mostra uma mulher de charme seguro, com um longo véu, como uma madona. O retrato de Marcel Duchamp feito por Naomi Savage, em 1949, mostra um gentleman um pouco austero, de camisa branca sem gravata, pulôver escuro com decote em V, rosto emagrecido e olhar de lado.

“Seus temperamentos eram tudo, menos idênticos”, analisa esse grande conhecedor do mistério Duchamp. “Ela era instintiva e impulsiva, direta e decidida. Duchamp, ao contrário, era introspectivo por natureza, evitava conflitos e optava por se retirar suavemente de qualquer situação desagradável em que estivesse envolvido. Enquanto Maria abraçava rapidamente qualquer relação que surgisse, ele era mais reticente e nunca se permitia apegar-se emocionalmente a ninguém, sobretudo às mulheres que entravam em sua vida.”

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The Galleries sector forms the commercial core of the fair. Admission depends on approval by an independent committee and means exhibiting alongside major players such as Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner, and Pace. In this context, the simultaneous presence of six Brazilian galleries represents more than a quantitative advance: it signals the growing integration of Brazilian art into the international circuit.

Brazilian participation also extends beyond the booths. Gomide&Co and A Gentil Carioca are presenting projects in Unlimited, the sector dedicated to installations, sculptures, and monumental works that exceed the scale of a conventional stand. Luisa Strina and Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel are also taking part in Parcours, the fair’s public art programme, curated by Stefanie Hessler. This presence across different sectors broadens the visibility of Brazilian artists and demonstrates that interest in the country’s art is not limited to the market, but also extends to the curatorial and institutional fields.

More broadly, one of the best-received experiences of this edition has been Basel Exclusive, an initiative that reserved major works to be unveiled only during the fair’s opening, without prior circulation through digital previews or pre-sales. Despite a smaller presence of American and Asian collectors and a public more concentrated in Europe, the initiative brought people to the booths to see the works, engage in conversation, and build relationships. The paradox is that, in seeking to innovate, Art Basel has recovered the original concept of the fair: a space for discovery, encounter, and lived experience. In a market increasingly mediated by digital tools, Exclusive reaffirmed that experiencing a work’s scale, materiality, and relationship to space remains irreplaceable, leaving visitors more enthusiastic, engaged, and connected.

The first transactions reveal the uneven nature of this recovery. Multimillion-dollar sales involving artists such as Pablo Picasso and David Hockney coexist with sales of contemporary names, large-scale projects in Unlimited, and more experimental presentations in sections dedicated to younger galleries. More than simply tracking international figures, however, this article examines how Brazilian galleries and artists positioned themselves in Basel, which works attracted the greatest interest, which sales were completed, and what these results reveal about Brazil’s presence in the global art market.

National Galleries

Almeida & Dale

Making its debut at Art Basel, Almeida & Dale presented a selection devoted to leading figures in Brazilian and Latin American art and reported a series of sales led by a significant sculpture by Tunga, sold for $400.000, alongside a work on paper by the artist acquired by a Brazilian collector based in Europe. A small painting of a sunset by Lorenzato sold for $150.000. The gallery also placed five works by Chen-Kong Fang with international collectors, including buyers in Hong Kong and New York, at prices ranging from $20.000 to $80.000, as well as two works by Rayana Rayo for $16.000 each, one to an American collection and the other to a Spanish collection. A late work on voile canvas by Leonilson from 1991 sold to an American Collection while Miriam Inez da Silva, priced at approximately $30.000, is currently on reserve.

Among the artists featured, Rayana Rayo stands out for a painting practice shaped by imagined landscapes, hybrid organisms, and fantastical ecosystems connected to the geography and atmosphere of Recife. Her international trajectory has gained momentum through projects held in 2025, including a residency at Maison Édouard Glissant in Martinique and the solo exhibition Yo soy semilla at Travesía Cuatro in Guadalajara. In 2026, she participated in the group exhibition Naturaleza Arquitecta at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, as well as in the 39th Panorama of Brazilian Art. Her works are held in the collections of the Pinacoteca de São Paulo and REC Cultural.

Rayana Rayo
As vezes do topo 3, 2026
Oil on canvas
122 x 88 cm

Sold: $16.000

A Gentil Carioca

A Gentil Carioca reported several additional sales from its booth, presented under the theme Nature and Freedom, the booth also presents works by Ana Silva, Arjan Martins, Denilson Baniwa, Laura Lima, Marcela Cantuária, Maria Nepomuceno, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Sallisa Rosa, and Vivian Caccuri, among others. The selection brings together practices that explore territory, spirituality, memory, and different forms of freedom.

The presentation also coincides with growing international visibility for several artists in the gallery’s programme. Laura Lima recently held her first London solo exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, while Rodrigo Torres is presenting Água Mole em Pedra Dura, his first solo exhibition in Italy, at Rhinoceros in Rome. Mariana Rocha is also expected to participate in an upcoming Guangzhou biennial. Together, these developments reinforce the gallery’s role in connecting emerging and established Brazilian practices with audiences and institutions beyond Brazil.

Agrade Camíz
Depois do terremoto, 2026
Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas
150 x 100 x 4.5 cm

Gomide&Co

Gomide&Co presented a particularly strong selection of Brazilian postwar art,part of the Art Basel Exclusive project, only available at the booth, including Geraldo de Barros’s Forma Objeto, 1952, available for $850.000; Hélio Oiticica’s Metaesquema MET 112, 1957, priced at $500.000; and Lygia Clark’s Bicho Pan-Cubismo 3, 1969–1970, from the Unlimited Editon, offered for $300.000. The gallery mentions the sale of a 1990 painting by Lorenzato for $220.000, on the second day of the fair.

The gallery reported a particularly strong presence of European and Asian visitors, including a significant number of Chinese collectors.Among the works that generated the greatest attention were pieces by Leonora de Barros, Antonio Dias, and Geraldo de Barros. Even when visitors were unfamiliar with the artists, the works themselves prompted questions, conversations, and sustained interest, an indication of Brazilian art’s ability to engage international audiences beyond established names.

A major highlight of the booth is a work by Leonora de Barros, offered for $120.000 in an edition of three. Combining language, image, sound, and the body, her practice questions systems of communication and the boundaries between visual art and poetry. Her growing institutional visibility includes presentations at the New Museum, the Musée de La Poste, and the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, as well as her forthcoming participation in the next Yucatán Biennial. The booth also features an impressive work by León Ferrari from the collection of the artist’s family.

Lenora de Barros
Homenagem a George Segal, 1990/2013
Inkjet print on cotton paper
59 x 43 cm
From the Unlimited Editon

Asking Price: $120.000

Luisa Strina

Returning to Art Basel, Luisa Strina occupies the fair with a selection that brings contemporary practices into dialogue with historical legacies. The presentation includes artists such as Cildo Meireles, Hélio Oiticica, Lygia Pape, Mira Schendel, Fernanda Gomes, Leonilson, Anna Maria Maiolino, Mona Hatoum, and Rivane Neuenschwander, among others. According to the gallery, while previous editions saw a significant presence of Asian buyers, demand this year has been led by European collectors, particularly from Germany and Italy. Acquisitions by American, Chinese, and Japanese collectors have also been recorded, with no sales to Brazilian buyers reported so far.

One of the main highlights is an installation by Leonor Antunes, originally developed in connection with discrepancies with W.W. (in company), her first solo exhibition in Vienna, presented at the University Gallery of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, and later adapted to the fair setting. Inspired by a bench by Charlotte Perriand and the beaded compositions of Sophie Taeuber-Arp, the work reflects the artist’s research into women of European modernism and her dialogue between sculpture, architecture, design, and craft. The presentation also includes Alfredo Jaar’s Tonight No Poetry Will Serve, shown as the artist participates in In Minor Keys, the main exhibition of the 2026 Venice Biennale. Greater emphasis, however, is placed on a self-portrait by Brazilian artist Bruno Baptistelli, whose practice draws on personal experience, urban life, the African diaspora, and hip-hop culture. Through the representation of his own body, Baptistelli addresses questions of visibility, Black identity, belonging, and the construction of memory, transforming the self-portrait into both an intimate statement and a reflection on the social realities of contemporary Brazil.

Bruno Baptistelli
Sem título (Autorretrato), 2025/2026
African mask’, Puma trainers,
wood, wire and nail
59 x 80 x 100 cm

Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel

Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel achieved notable results through the inaugural Basel Exclusive initiative, selling every work in the initial presentation on the fair’s opening day. Installed in a dedicated room at the back of the booth, the selection featured works by Marina Rheingantz, Antonio Társis, Marcia Falcão, and Sophia Loeb, acquired primarily by European and American collectors, as well as by Brazilian buyers. Once the entire group had sold, the gallery replaced the works with a new selection.

Pélagie Gbaguidi is another highlight of the presentation, with a work at the booth offered for €46.000 and an intervention in the Parcours sector at St. Clara Church, developed in collaboration with Goodman Gallery and Tim Van Laere Gallery. Born in Dakar to a Beninese family and based in Brussels for many years, Gbaguidi has worked with Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel for the past two years. The work presented at the booth is more fragmented and diffuse than her project for the 36th São Paulo Biennial, evoking birth and the trajectory of migration. Her connection with Brazil has deepened through an exhibition in São Paulo, a residency at Pivô Salvador, and participation in a group exhibition organised by Galatea in Salvador, where the artist recognised strong cultural connections with Beninese heritage. She is also preparing an upcoming exhibition at KANAL–Centre Pompidou in Belgium.

At the booth, a work by Rivane Neuenschwander is offered at $55.000. Produced by pouring heated material into molds, the work fills the spaces left by previously printed images. At the end of the month, the artist will open an exhibition at Castello di Rivoli in Italy featuring Dream Lab, an installation conceived as a shadow theatre and previously presented at Itaú Cultural.

Rivane Neuenschwander
Tempestuous lover, 2026
Beeswax, oil pastel, MDF and acrylic paint
120 x 81 cm

Unlimited

Gomide&Co

In the Unlimited sector of Art Basel 2026, Gomide&Co joins Gió Marconi, Nara Roesler, and Sprovieri to present a historic installation by Antonio Dias, comprising two groups of works from the series The Illustration of Art, 1971–1974, originally shown at the 1973 Paris Biennale.

Antonio Dias’s practice embodies a profound dialogue between art, society, and systems of representation. Following his move to Italy in the late 1960s, the artist gradually shifted away from the tactile, protruding surfaces and politically charged visual language of his early Pop-inspired works toward a more restrained conceptual vocabulary. Monochromatic fields, geometric structures, and concise textual interventions became tools for investigating power, language, and the mechanisms through which meaning is constructed. Rather than functioning as autonomous objects, his works operate as conceptual models that invite the viewer to actively negotiate the relationship between image, space, and social reality.

The installation presented in Unlimited exemplifies this transition by extending the work beyond the physical boundaries of the canvas into the surrounding architectural space. The black surface engages in a silent dialogue with the white wall, transforming the exhibition environment into an integral component of the artwork and positioning the viewer as an active participant in its completion. This approach reflects the influence of Italian Conceptual Art and Arte Povera while situating Dias within a broader international discourse that challenged the autonomy of the art object in favor of process, perception, and institutional critique. His practice ultimately proposes art as a dynamic social structure, one that exists not only through material form but through the conceptual exchange established between artwork, space, and spectator.

A Gentil Carioca

In Art Basel Unlimited, A Gentil Carioca presents Safira, 2025, a monumental painting by Agrade Camíz that began taking shape in the artist’s studio in April 2025. Developed gradually over several weeks, the work was built layer by layer and first shown in June 2025 at the Grand Palais in Paris, as part of Horizontes — Pinturas Brasileiras. In Basel, its large scale allows viewers to experience the work as an immersive field of colour, matter, and movement.

Unfolding through deep layers of blue, Safira brings together recurring elements in Camíz’s practice, including reinvented landscapes, traces of popular architecture, displacement, shelter, and passage. These visible structures are interwoven with memories, desires, and persistent mental images, creating a painting that connects ancestral memory, transformation, permanence, and possible futures. The work also reflects the artist’s belief that painting is shaped not only by pigment, but by time, hesitation, bodily effort, and the life of the studio, eventually acquiring an existence beyond its maker. The artist’s works are part of collections such as TBA21 – Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Bredin Prat Foundation, Tisot Art Collection Trust, and Chen-Lan Foundation, among others.

Parcours

Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel

In the Parcours sector, Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel joins Goodman Gallery and Tim Van Laere Gallery to present an intervention by Pélagie Gbaguidi at St. Clara Church in Basel. The collaboration reflects the international scope of the artist’s practice and the shared commitment of the three galleries to supporting work that engages critically with memory, history, and contemporary social questions.

Gbaguidi develops a multidisciplinary practice spanning painting, drawing, installation, and performance, bringing together individual and collective memories, colonial and postcolonial archives, and processes of trauma, resistance, and repair. In 2024, she presented the solo exhibitions Murmurations at the Musée d’art contemporain de la Haute-Vienne – Château de Rochechouart, in France. In 2025, she held Antre at La Verrière – Fondation d’entreprise Hermès in Brussels and opened Excavation and Knowledge at the Fralin Museum of Art in Virginia and participated in the 36th São Paulo Biennial with paintings developed in collaboration with Carmen Silva and the Homeless Workers’ Movement, addressing the right to housing and Brazil’s social and urban conditions. Her works are held in collections including Kunstmuseum Basel, KANAL–Centre Pompidou, S.M.A.K., M HKA, Instituto Inhotim, CNAP, and the Musée d’art contemporain de la Haute-Vienne.

Luisa Strina

Luisa Strina, São Paulo, and Sprovieri, London, collaborate to present Cinthia Marcelle’s Déjà vu [Já Visto] series. The site-specific installation explores value, art-market conventions, and spatial choreography through three closely related sculptures, each composed of a glass and a stack of coins arranged in a slightly different configuration. Installed on shelves along the same wall across three floors of an abandoned building, the works gradually reveal themselves as visitors climb the stairs. Their near repetition generates a sense of familiarity and uncertainty, transforming the act of moving through the building into a play on perception, circulation, and the feeling of having encountered the same scene before.

Marcelle develops installations, videos, photographs, and performances that examine the systems organising labour, collective behaviour, public space, and social relations. In 2026, she is participating in If the word we, the 59th Carnegie International at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, with Green Hall Annex. Her institutional trajectory also includes the solo exhibition Projects 105: Cinthia Marcelle at MoMA PS1 in New York. Her works are held in major public collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate in London.

International Galleries

Pace

Recently, the drastic restructuring announced by Pace just days before Art Basel provided a further indication of this pressure. The mega-gallery decided to reduce its roster from approximately 135 to 85 artists and estates, while also eliminating nearly 50 positions. Its CEO, Marc Glimcher, acknowledged that the model based on the continuous expansion of teams, spaces, and the number of artists was no longer sustainable, going so far as to describe the current mega-gallery model as “broken” and impossible to repair in its existing form.

This refocusing, however, did not affect Marina Perez Simão, who remained among the artists represented by Pace and for good reason. Her commercial viability was once again confirmed in Basel with the sale of a large-format painting, measuring 200 x 100 centimeters, for $195.000, presumably during the preview. In a market where even the largest galleries are now reducing their staff and selecting their artists more rigorously, this continuity constitutes a signal that is as strategic as it is commercial.

Marina Perez Simão
Untitled, 2026
Oil on linen
200 × 190 cm

Sold: $195.000

Lisson

Hélio Oiticica anchors Lisson Gallery’s presentation with Relevo Espacial Amarelo, a posthumously realised work available for $2.2 million. The selection traces key stages in the artist’s development, from his early engagement with geometric abstraction as a member of Grupo Frente to the Metaesquema series, in which colour and form begin to break free from the rigid structure of the grid. One blue gouache Metaesquema on cardboard was sold for $500.000. These sale took place in a broader context of growing institutional and collector interest in Hélio Oiticica. One of the artist’s major works, Grande Núcleo, had previously been acquired for $7.8 million by Kenneth C. Griffin, who also purchased an oil-on-canvas work from the Metaesquema series for $3 million. The three different nuclei that constitute Grande Núcleo are now held respectively by the Art Institute of Chicago, the Dia Art Foundation and the Kenneth C. Griffin Collection, reflecting both the increasing involvement of major American collectors and Oiticica’s strengthening institutional presence in the United States.

The booth also includes three works by Mira Schendel: two Datiloscritos, offered at $450.000 each, and an Objeto Gráfico, priced at $850.000 and currently on hold.Through sparse arrangements of letters, words, and graphic signs, the Datiloscritos transform language into a visual and spatial field, exploring the tension between communication, silence, and the material presence of the typed mark. In the Objetos Gráficos, Schendel suspended translucent sheets within acrylic supports, allowing writing and drawing to be viewed from both sides and activated by light and surrounding space. Together, the works reflect her sustained investigation into language.

Hélio Oiticica
Untitled, 1958
Gouache on cardboard
49.5 x 67 cm

Sold

Dalton Paula is also represented in the gallery’s presentation with a monumental work priced at $350.000. Through portraiture, archival research and imagined representations, the artist reconstructs overlooked Black histories and restores visibility to figures whose images were erased, suppressed or never recorded. His growing institutional recognition includes the solo exhibition Dalton Paula: Brazilian Portraits at MASP, a major presentation at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, and his participation in Afro-Atlantic Histories at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His work is held in prominent public collections, including MoMA, which owns six portraits from his 2020 series, MASP and the Pinacoteca de São Paulo.

Dalton Paula
Criança Babá Egun, 2025
Oil and silver leaf on canvas
180 x 320 x 4 cm

Asking Price: $350.000

Kaufmann Repetto

Recent sales of one sculpture and two paintings confirm Diambe’s strong commercial performance at Kaufmann Repetto. The sculpture sold for $30.000, a larger-format painting was acquired for $25.000, and another work from the artist’s latest series remains available for $22.000. With production limited to approximately three paintings per year for the gallery, Diambe has attracted American, Italian, and Brazilian collectors. Following a successful exhibition at the Kunsthalle, Diambe will be presented in a new show at the gallery’s headquarters in Milan, scheduled for November and integrated into a program dedicated to Brazil, expanding the circulation of his work among the European public. His sculptures also stand out for a dreamlike and unique dimension, which evokes similarities with the surrealist universe of Maria Martins.

The gallery also began representing Clarissa Tossin and is preparing an exhibition of the artist’s work at its Milan location. Her work combines block printing and ink on canvas, exploring the integration between the human body, especially the female body, and the natural world. Associated with an ecofeminist perspective, Tossin employs earthy colors, rough surfaces, and organic textures to question the idea of ​​separation between humanity and nature. The Pianti Vagabondi series, developed during her time at the American Academy in Rome, deepens this investigation into interdependence and transformation. A work in the format shown is available for $40.000, with smaller works also offered by the gallery.

Diambe da Silva
Coração fetiche fantasias II, 2025
Bronze patinated with organic, mineral and synthetic pigments
49 x 11 x 11 cm

Sold: $30.000

Clarissa Tossin
Ervas Daninhas: Cincoenrama e Sherardia, Roma, 2025
Block Printing ink canvas
210 x 150 x 3 cm

Maureen Paley

The sale of Paulo Nimer Pjota’s Vasos Encantados, 2026 for $40.000 coincides with a period of growing institutional recognition for the artist. In 2025, he presented The Moon and I at the Kunstinstituut Melly in Rotterdam, an exhibition that resulted in a monograph published by Distanz. In 2026, he held In the Mouth of the Sun II at François Ghebaly in Los Angeles and inaugurated Enchanted at the South London Gallery, her first institutional solo exhibition in a public gallery in the United Kingdom. Marked by the encounter between urban culture, mythology, memory, and art history, his work combines painting, drawing, and visual references from different eras. His works are part of collections such as the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Denver Art Museum, MAC Lyon, Museo Jumex, Pérez Art Museum Miami, MAM São Paulo, and Fondation Carmignac.

Paulo Nimer Pjota
Vasos Encantados, 2026
Acrylic, oil, tempera on canvas
210 x 163 cm

Sold: $40.000

James Cohan

James Cohan Gallery reported the sale of a work by Alexandre da Cunha for $35.000. The Brazilian artist develops sculptures, installations, and wall-based works through the transformation of everyday objects and found materials, bringing together references to Modernism, Neoconcretism, Arte Povera, and Brazilian and British popular cultures. In 2025, he took part in the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition in London, reinforcing his longstanding presence in the British art scene. His work is held in collections including Tate, Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Instituto Inhotim, Museu de Arte da Pampulha, and the CIFO Cisneros Collection.

Alexandre da Cunha
Vitral (parlour), 2025
Shovel handiles, t-shirts, cleaning cloth, blanket, dishcloths, fabric cut outs
79 x 94 x 6 cm

Sold: $35.000

Tanya Bonakdar

Sandra Cinto’s Between Two Infinities, 2026, available for $90.000, occupies a prominent place in Tanya Bonakdar’s presentation. Known for her poetic landscapes constructed from seas, skies, lines, and horizons, the artist articulates drawing, painting, and installation around themes such as time, memory, and transcendence. The market has shown increasing interest in her work, a reflection of this movement was the sale, during ARCOmadrid, of two works by Sandra Cinto by Galeria Triângulo to Brazilian collectors, including a piece from the series Prelude to the Sun and the Stars (après Mallorca), from 2026.

Tanya Bonakdar’s booth also features a sculpture by Ernesto Neto, offered for $60.000. One of Brazil’s most internationally recognised contemporary artists, Neto is known for immersive, sensorial environments made from textiles, crochet, spices, and organic materials, inviting visitors to experience art through the body, movement, and collective participation. In this work, the artist introduces glitter inside the suspended fabric stockings, adding a brighter and more playful effect to the installation while reinforcing the contrast between lightness, colour, and the sculpture’s organic forms.

His international institutional profile was recently reinforced by Nosso Barco Tambor Terra at the Grand Palais in Paris, presented from June 5 to July 25, 2025, as part of the Brazil–France cultural season. The monumental installation transformed the venue’s nave into a space of encounter and shared experience, bringing together crochet, bark, earth, and spices while addressing music, Brazilian history, community, and environmental concerns.

Sandra Cinto
Between Two Infinities, 2026
Acrylic on canvas
200 x 130 cm

Asking Price: $90.000

Ermesto Neto
Two Colonies Going Somewhere, 2007
Polyamide textile, glass seed beads in 23 parts
Installation dimensions variable

Carlos/Ishikawa

Founded in London by Brazilian gallerist Vanessa Carlos, Carlos/Ishikawa celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2026 with a presentation that reflects the gallery’s longstanding commitment to discovering artists at an early stage and supporting the development of their careers over time. The gallery began representing Antonio Tarsis at an early stage in his career and expanded its programme in 2025 with the addition of Maxwell Alexandre and Marlene Almeida.

Their presence underscores Carlos/Ishikawa’s role as an important international platform for Brazilian artists, whose works are placed predominantly in collections outside Brazil. Based in London, a city defined by migration and cultural exchange, the gallery is closely connected to collectors, institutions, and curators from different regions. As Vanessa Carlos explains, its programme has always sought to engage a broad and diverse audience while building long-term relationships with artists and accompanying their growth from the earliest stages of their careers.

The gallery report the sale of several works by Maxwell Alexandre at the fair, mainly to European collectors, as well as acquisitions from the Asian market, including a Chinese buyer. Smaller-format works were offered for between $12.000 and $15.000. Known for representing Black bodies, scenes from Rocinha (a favela in Rio de Janeiro), and symbols linked to power, religiosity, and popular culture, the artist frequently uses brown paper and supports of biographical value. In 2025, he participated in the 36th São Paulo Biennial and held his first institutional solo exhibition in the United Kingdom, at the Delfina Foundation. His works are part of collections such as the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, MASP, MAM Rio, MAR, Museo Reina Sofía, and Pérez Art Museum Miami.

Max Hetzler

Max Hetzler presents a work by Janaina Tschäpe available for $150.000, at a time of great institutional visibility for the artist. Known for a body of work that spans painting, drawing, video, and installation, Tschäpe develops a visual universe marked by organic forms, imagined landscapes, and aquatic atmospheres, exploring the relationship between body, nature, and memory. On June 13th, the artist inaugurated Conversations with the Sea at Hastings Contemporary in the UK, her first major institutional solo exhibition in the country, bringing together paintings and works on paper in dialogue with the sea and the coastal landscape of Hastings. The artist also presents a solo exhibition at the Aître Saint-Maclou in Rouen, as part of the Normandie Impressionniste festival, an edition dedicated to the centenary of Claude Monet’s death, onview until September 27, 2026.

Janaina Tschape
Wandernebel, 2026
Oil and oil stick on linen
218.4 x 193 cm

Gió Marconi

Gió Marconi highlights With Desert, 1968, by Antonio Dias considered an essential figure for understanding the transition from Brazilian New Figuration, the political critique of the 1960s, and Brazilian Pop Art to an international conceptual language. His work engaged with the context of repression, censorship, and urban violence during the military dictatorship. His trajectory between Rio de Janeiro, Paris, and Milan, and his presence in collections such as MoMA, Museum Ludwig, MALBA, Daros, and MAM-SP, place the artist on a highly institutional level. Recent exhibitions such as The Illustration of Art, 1969–1971, at Sprovieri, London, in 2025, and Search for an Open Enigma, at the Sharjah Art Foundation, United Arab Emirates, in 2024, confirm the continuous international re-evaluation of his work, especially his conceptual and experimental production from his European period.

Antonio Dias
Desert, 1968
Acrylic and silver foil on paper
50 x 70 cm

Asking Price: €65.000

Peter Freeman

Three works by Fernanda Gomes are included in Peter Freeman’s presentation: one available for $50.000 and two smaller-format pieces offered at $30.000 and $32.000. The artist transforms everyday materials, such as wood, paper, fabric, threads, and found objects, into compositions that explore the relationships between space, light, matter, and perception. In 2025, she presented a solo exhibition simultaneously at Galerie Peter Kilchmann and Peter Freeman, Inc., in Paris, her first solo project in the French capital in over a decade. Her works are part of important public and institutional collections, such as MoMA, Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, Museo Reina Sofía, Art Institute of Chicago, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Vancouver Art Gallery, Fundação de Serralves, MAM São Paulo, and MAM Rio.

Alison Jacques

Alison Jacques also presents two important works by Lygia Clark: a Bicho and a Superfície Modulada, each priced at $650.000. A central figure of Brazilian Neoconcretism, Clark challenged the idea of art as a fixed and autonomous object. Her Superfícies Moduladas, developed during the 1950s, expand geometric painting beyond the traditional frame, using lines, planes, and intervals to activate the surrounding space. The Bichos, created from hinged metal plates, marked an even more radical shift: their forms can be repeatedly reconfigured, transforming the viewer from a passive observer into an active participant in the work.

The presentation coincides with renewed international attention to Clark’s legacy. Her major retrospective was shown at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin in 2025 before travelling to the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it remained on view until March 2026. Bringing together her geometric paintings, participatory sculptures, and sensorial propositions, the exhibition demonstrated how Clark transformed the relationship between the artwork, the body, and space. Her works are held in major international collections including Tate, MoMA, the Art Institute of Chicago, Centre Pompidou, and Museo Reina Sofía.

Lygia Clark
Superficie Modulada, 1958-1984
Industrial paint on wood
42 x 63 cm

Sean Kelly

Two works by Janaina Tschäpe, offered at $20.000 and $190.000, are included in Sean Kelly’s selection. The artist develops a multidisciplinary practice that spans painting, drawing, photography, video, and performance, articulating body, landscape, water, myth, and organic transformation. Her international trajectory includes the solo exhibition A Sky Filled with Clouds and the Smell of Blood Oranges, presented by the gallery itself in New York in 2024, as well as projects carried out in 2026 in Tokyo, Stockholm, Rouen, and Hastings. Her works are part of important collections, including Centre Pompidou, Museo Reina Sofía, Guggenheim Museum, National Gallery of Art, Moderna Museet, Harvard Art Museums, and MAM Rio.

Janaina Tschäpe
Ocean Heart, 2025
Oil and oil stick on linen
203.2 x 280 x 5.1 cm

Asking price: $190.000

White Cube

Two works by Lygia Pape are presented by White Cube, one of them with an asking price of $240.000. A central figure in Brazilian Concretism and Neoconcretism, Pape developed a multidisciplinary body of work encompassing woodcut, painting, sculpture, installation, film, and participatory actions, exploring the relationships between geometry, body, space, and sensory experience. Between September 2025 and January 2026, Weaving Space, at the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection in Paris, marked his first solo exhibition in France, featuring Ttéia 1, C. In 2026, the exhibition Sendo, presented by Mendes Wood in São Paulo, brought together emblematic works and rarely exhibited pieces. His work is part of collections such as MoMA, Tate, Centre Pompidou, Museo Reina Sofía, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Lygia Pape
Desenho (Drawing), 1959
Ink on Japanese paper
54 × 44.5 cm

Asking Price: $240.000

Gregor Podnar

With three works by Marcius Galan in its exhibition, including one available for €22.000, Gregor Podnar reaffirms its long-standing relationship with the artist, whom it has represented for approximately 14 years. While the gallery has maintained a consistent presence in Latin America and participated in art fairs in the region for years, Galan occupies a unique position in its program as the Brazilian artist with whom it has developed the most continuous collaboration. His work was also recently presented in Vienna in the exhibition Flags & Barriers, which brought together Galan and Tobias Putrih and revisited works previously seen in his trajectory with the gallery.

Beneath a geometric, precise, and sometimes silent appearance, Galan’s work introduces friction, violence, and resistance to power structures. In Black Flag, for example, the flag ceases to function as an affirmation of territory and authority, becoming its opposite: an emblem of refusal. Another work is based on a low-resolution image attributed to the CIA, related to vessels suspected of transporting drugs near Venezuela. By reproducing the visual precariousness and pixelation of the image, the artist questions how states and institutions employ ambiguous records to produce political narratives, legitimize actions, and manipulate public perception.

Galan’s presence at Gregor Podnar reinforces the bridge built by the gallery between Brazil and Central and Eastern Europe. Artists such as Julije Knifer establish formal dialogues with the geometry and perception present in Brazilian concrete and neo-concrete art, a connection also evidenced by the Susana and Ricardo Steinbruch Collection at the Museo Reina Sofía.

Marcius Galan
Low resolution, 2026
Wood and charcoal
44 x 44 cm

Asking Price: €22.000.00

Specialised in Brazilian and Latin American art, Sophie Su Art Advisory also curates international collections and advises clients on significant works from the global secondary market. By creating meaningful bridges between cultures, we provide tailored guidance on the valuation, acquisition and sale of works of art. Contact us through the whataaap button for tailored guidance on the valuation, acquisition and sale of works of art.

For a generation of art market professionals, Jerry Gogosian was far more than a successful Instagram account. After running her own gallery in Los Angeles and experiencing the art market from behind the scenes, she became a character in her own right: a living conceptual artwork born from the fusion of the names of art dealer Larry Gagosian and critic Jerry Saltz. Through this hybrid identity, Helphenstein found a new way to tell stories about art, exposing the mechanisms of an often opaque world and revealing, with humor and irreverence, the contradictions of a market driven by power, ambition, and money.

Jerry Saltz, whose first name inspired part of the Jerry Gogosian pseudonym, said he was touched to learn that she had chosen his name to construct her character. Above all, he praised her role at a moment when the art world needed to be shaken up: “She tattled and rattled cages at a moment when this really needed it.”

Her perspective was both satirical and deeply human. Often incisive, she captured the absurdities, paradoxes, and vulnerabilities of the contemporary art world with remarkable accuracy. She often described her work as political, not because she was naming names or launching direct attacks, but because following and commenting on the art world inevitably meant engaging with systems of influence and power.

Her account had reached more than 150,000 followers and was followed by major galleries, institutions, collectors, and art-world insiders, including staff members from Pace, Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner. She once said, “Essentially, I want to be the female Anthony Bourdain of the art world,” reflecting her ambition to guide audiences through a complex cultural ecosystem with curiosity, humor, and candor.

Helphenstein also frequently challenged perceptions of the industry’s scale, arguing that there were perhaps only 500 people at most in the “real” art world, those buying blue-chip art and circulating through the major fairs and events, contradicting the idea of a fluid, dynamic, and broadly solvent market.

Behind the humor was a life marked by resilience. Born in Russia and raised in a fundamentalist religious environment she described as especially difficult, she also endured serious health challenges. After studying art and opening a gallery in Los Angeles, she faced professional setbacks that informed her critical reflections on the art market.

In 2020, journalist and art dealer Kenny Schachter publicly revealed that she was the person behind the viral account. Rather than denying it, Helphenstein explained that Jerry Gogosian was first and foremost a conceptual artwork, conceived during a prolonged illness that left her bedridden for nearly a year.

Recently, she posted a video on Instagram denouncing this «  Art Daddy «, whom she had once considered a supporter, but who appeared to have hurt her deeply for reasons only she truly knew.

The art world can be a brutal place, particularly for those whose intelligence is matched by sensitivity. In an industry built on visibility, judgment, and competition, comments from peers, rivals, or public figures can cut far deeper than outsiders may imagine. Helphenstein’s irony may have made her appear untouchable, but derision is often also a form of protection, a way of surviving a system that wounds even those who seem strong enough to expose it.

Indeed, what began as an artistic experiment evolved into one of the most influential, and feared, voices in the art world on social media. Her influence extended beyond irony. Posts encouraging women to speak publicly about behavior they considered inappropriate by Sam Orlofsky, then a director at Gagosian, helped spark a broader conversation about power dynamics in the industry and preceded his departure from the company.

Helphenstein’s satire also targeted the art world’s social codes. In 2022, she jokingly announced that she had taken over Sotheby’s and renamed it “Hildeby’s,” promising, among other reforms, free wine bottles and assistants hired solely for their looks and family connections. Behind the joke was a pointed critique of privilege, inherited networks, and a professional culture in which women are often hyper-visible socially yet under-protected structurally, expected to perform charm, loyalty, and discretion while navigating power systems still largely shaped by men.

At the end of 2024, her Instagram account abruptly went silent. In a livestream video that has since become unavailable, she spoke candidly about her personal struggles: difficulty finding her place in the art world, a stay in a rehabilitation center for internet addiction, and the end of her engagement. Behind the public persona emerged a vulnerable, lucid, and courageous woman. And, as in much of what she denounced, not without reason, her own life seemed to move in waves between derision and sadness, humor and disillusionment.

Her final videos were posted recently during her stay in São Paulo, where she had travelled for surgery. The exact circumstances of her death remain unknown. Beyond the speculation, what endures is the memory of a brilliant, independent, and courageous woman. Through her unique perspective, she gave voice to those who often felt unable to speak and left a lasting mark on the recent history of the art market. In a field where many choose silence to protect their interests, she chose the opposite: to speak, question, and sometimes provoke, driven by the conviction that the art world should be able to laugh at itself and examine itself honestly.

The struggles and enduring questions surrounding her death remind us of the human cost that can accompany a system driven by fame, power, and isolation.

The result, however, should not be read merely as an isolated record. It comes at a moment of growing institutional and commercial attention around Maria Martins, but also within a context in which the circulation of historical Brazilian sculptures raises complex questions of provenance, documentation and technical validation.

Maria Martins was born in Campanha, Minas Gerais, and became a Brazilian sculptor, writer, and multidisciplinary artist whose work came to be internationally associated with Surrealism. In 1926, she married the diplomat Carlos Martins Pereira e Sousa, and her life thereafter was marked by constant movement across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, accompanying her husband’s diplomatic postings.

It is in Brussels, in the 1930s, that Maria Martins begin her training in sculpture, studying with the Belgian artist Oscar Jespers and experimenting with materials such as wood, terracotta, and bronze. Her mature language, however, emerged above all in the 1940s, when she was living in the United States, during a decisive period for the consolidation of Surrealism in New York. There, she studied with Jacques Lipchitz and Stanley William Hayter, became close to André Breton, Max Ernst, and Marcel Duchamp, and developed a sculptural practice that fused Surrealist biomorphism and Amazonian mythology.

Her sculptures from this period present hybrid bodies of figures in a state of metamorphosis. In her pieces the human, the vegetal, the animal, and the mythical seem to merge, creating a singular grammar of desire, violence, fertility, and threat. Maria Martins did not merely introduce Brazilian references into the international Surrealist vocabulary: she displaced that vocabulary, transforming it through Amazonian mythologies, powerful forces of nature and a deeply sensory understanding of matter.

Maria Martins and the Impossible

Within this trajectory, Impossible occupies a central place. Created in 1946, the work is widely regarded as a defining sculpture in Maria Martins’s oeuvre and one of the most powerful examples of her New York period. The Rago dossier states that Impossible was produced in at least three distinct versions around 1945 - 1946, with the example now sold likely being the first. This version is distinguished from the others by the circular arms emanating from the female figure, a feature previously known through photographs of Maria Martins in her New York studio and apparently through records of the Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme, held at Galerie Maeght in Paris in 1947.

The sculpture shows two figures facing one another, seemingly repelled by each other. Their bodies are crossed by sharp forms, voids, and organic extensions that turn the work into an image of tension, desire, and incompatibility. The title itself announces the impossibility of encounter: a relationship in which proximity and repulsion coexist within the same gesture, read by several critics as a possible allusion to the intense, desirous, and ambiguous relationship Maria Martins maintained with Marcel Duchamp during the 1940s.

According to the auction house, the plaster of this version I of Impossible was first presented in Maria Martins’s second solo exhibition at the Valentine Gallery in New York, which opened at the end of April 1946. The crucial point is that, by the auction text’s own account, at that moment, the bronze version was not yet ready; for this reason, the artist would have exhibited an unfinished plaster, later reproduced by Edward Alden Jewell in his review for The New York Times.

It is precisely here that the recent sale gains an additional layer of complexity. If, on the one hand, the million-dollar result confirms Maria Martins’s strength in the international market, on the other, it makes an in-depth verification of the provenance, exhibition history, and materiality of this specific version of Impossible indispensable.

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As the fair progressed, a shift in behavior became perceptible: collectors appeared increasingly selective and analytical, with fewer impulsive acquisitions compared to the previous edition. This evolution suggests a more considered approach, reflecting broader structural changes in the market. We noticed a more mature edition, with more precise presentations, less excess, and more curatorial intent in many of the booths.

Notably, the fair attracted a substantial number of international collectors, museum professionals, and curators, underscoring São Paulo’s growing role as a key node in the global art ecosystem. Their perspectives and recommendations, gathered on-site, offer valuable insights into how Brazilian art is being perceived and engaged with today, and can be found at the end of this article.

Among them were leading figures such as Mari Carmen Ramírez (Chief Curator, MFAH, Houston), alongside a group of 15 patrons from the museum’s Latin American Committee; Jennifer Inacio (Curator, Pérez Art Museum Miami); Brinda Kumar (Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, The Met); Robert Braun (Director, MOLAA); Vivian Guimarães (Latin America Acquisition Committee, Tate); Alfonso Castor (Curator, Museo Tamayo & Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo); Ross Karlan (Independent Curator); Maria Bukhtoyarova (Tate International Council); Teresa de Arruda (Independent Curator, Germany); Javier and Lorena Lumbrera (Directors, Collegium, Spain); Jareh Das (Curator and Art Critic); and Autrianna Ward (Curator, SFMOMA).

I. Secondary Market Galeries

Danielian

Highlights include the sale of a 1940s painting by Cícero Dias and works by Lygia Pape, alongside primary market placements by Alvaro Seixas, two works by Ottavia Delfanti and one work by Ana Neves, reflecting a dynamic engagement across generations.

While canonical figures such as Antonio Bandeira, Milton Dacosta and Glauco Rodrigues remain structurally embedded within institutional narratives, emerging voices like Ana Neves and Alvaro Seixas continue to build visibility primarily through galleries operating in the secondary market during art fairs. This dynamic highlights a persistent gap between institutional validation and primary market development in Brazil, where sales tend to confirm a stronger agility and demand for more accessible contemporary works.

Pinakotheke

The Pinakotheke opened SP–Arte with an early sale during the preview, placing a work by Djanira da Motta e Silva even before the official start of the fair, signaling strong initial demand. The gallery also highlights Double Virtual n°1, 1996 by Jesús Rafael Soto, currently under negotiation with an asking price of R$2.5M, reflecting sustained interest in major works of Latin American kinetic art.

The booth brings together a selection of works spanning key moments in Brazilian modern art, emphasizing pieces of both historical and technical significance. The presentation offers a direct dialogue with artists who have shaped the country’s visual language, reinforcing the gallery’s focus on museum-quality works and established trajectories.

Jesús Rafael Soto
Double virtual n°1, 1996
Painted wood and metal wires
102 x 108 x 26 cm

Marco Zero

Conceived around the studio as a space of alchemy, embracing the unpredictable and transformative nature of artistic creation, the booth brings together over 30 artists across generations. Among the highlights is a sculpture by Willys de Castro, Pluriobjeto, 1980–1989, presented at $220.000, exemplifying the artist’s radical expansion of painting into space. A central figure of Neoconcretism, Willys de Castro developed the Pluriobjeto as a way to dissolve boundaries between painting and object. His work has been the subject of renewed institutional attention, notably in the exhibition Willys de Castro: Pluriobjetos at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo (2019), as well as in historical surveys such as Construção e Intuição: Geometria no Brasil at the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (2022), reinforcing his central role in the development of Brazilian geometric abstraction.

Opening with strong sales, the booth reports the placement of a work by Tomie Ohtake for approximately R$400.000, alongside a complete sell-out of three works by Rayana Rayo for R$30.000, the artist will be performing a solo show in June at the former headquarters of the Millan gallery, now Almeida & Dale.

Additional sales include a painting by Marlene Almeida for R$100.000, a painting by Francisco Brennand for R$150.000, two works by Bozó Bacamarte at R$20.000 each, a work by Montez Magno for R$200.000, a work by Chacha Barja for R$20.000, and a work by Antonio Dias for R$600.000, reflecting a dynamic engagement across different generations and collector profiles.

Rayana Rayo
Desço as ladeiras e me jogo no mar, 2026
Oil on canvas
49 x 49 cm

Almeida & Dale

The Almeida & Dale foregrounds a major landscape by Tarsila do Amaral, presented with an asking price of $20M, alongside a mobile by Alexander Calder with an asking price of $3.8M, two key works that anchor the booth at the highest end of the market and reaffirm the enduring demand for blue-chip modern masters.

The gallery reports the sale of a significant anthropophagic work on paper by Tarsila do Amaral, alongside works by Alfredo Volpi, León Ferrari and Victor Brecheret.

Further sales span both modern and contemporary segments, including works by Maxwell Alexandre, Thiago Rocha Pitta, Túlio Pinto, Wanderlei Lopes, Adriana Varejão, Montez Magno, Lydia Lisboa, Rubem Valentim, Miriam Inês da Silva and Henrique Oliveira, reflecting a broad absorption across the gallery’s program. Anish Kapoor remains under negotiation.

 Maxwell Alexandre, who also opens his first solo exhibition with the gallery, Pintor preto, figuração branca, on April 11. Overall, the gallery reports strong placements across its contemporary program, with most artists in both booths successfully absorbed by the market, while reception for higher-value works proved more measured, reflecting a selective approach from collectors at the top end.

Tarsila do Amaral
A feira II, 1925
Oil on canvas 4
5.3 x 54.5 cm

Asking Price: $20.000.000

Gomide & Co

With strong sales during the fair Gomide&Co reports multiple high-value transactions, including works by Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato around $160.000, as well as significant placements of Mira Schendel, Hélio Oiticica for $200.000 and León Ferrari, reaching figures close to or above R$1M. The gallery also sold multiple works by Maria Lira Marques available for $130.000 and other key artists, confirming sustained demand across both modern and contemporary segments, with several additional works currently under negotiation.

The booth reflects a strategic shift toward a stronger focus on the gallery’s own program, articulating a dialogue between primary and secondary market practices. By actively acquiring, exhibiting, and repositioning historical artists, the gallery consolidates greater control over their market trajectories while maintaining a high level of quality. This approach results in a cohesive presentation that bridges generations and reinforces Gomide&Co’s positioning within both the Brazilian and international art markets.

Paulo Darzé

The Paulo Darzé Galeria reports the sale of five sculptures by Ayrson Heráclito, including three small-scale works, one medium, and one large-format piece, placed across collections in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, and Bahia. Price points range around R$160.000 for smaller sculptures, R$210.000 for medium-scale works, and R$260.000 for larger pieces, reflecting a consistent demand within the Brazilian collector base, while additional works remain under negotiation.

The booth presents a solo project dedicated to Ayrson Heráclito, in dialogue with artists whose practices engage with the orixás and have shaped his vision, such as Mestre Didi, Rubem Valentim, and Abdias Nascimento. The presentation also marks his participation in the Venice Biennale 2026, a significant milestone in his trajectory.

More than 20 works have been loaned to the Biennale, including sculptures and drawings centered on Afro-Brazilian cosmologies and ritual systems. This reinforces both his expanding international presence and the growing institutional recognition of his practice.

Ayrson Heráclito
Juntó – abebė com xaxarė, 2023
Sculpture in stainless steel
64 x 12 cm

Súr

The Galería Sur presents a refined selection of Latin American masters alongside key modern and contemporary artists, articulating a transhistorical dialogue across the region. The booth brings together figures such as Joaquín Torres García, Armando Reverón, and Pedro Figari, whose practices remain foundational to the construction of Latin American modernism, alongside contemporary artists such as Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe.

The gallery reports an overall positive edition, with early sales during the preview, including major works by Torres García and María Freire acquired by U.S. collectors, as well as continued strong interest from both Brazilian and international audiences, particularly American collectors.

Particular attention is given to Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, a Yanomami artist whose work draws from traditional body painting systems, in which each graphic element carries specific meanings linked to rituals, social states, and cosmological narratives, ranging from mourning to celebration or warfare. His practice, already present in major international collections such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, reflects a growing institutional recognition of Indigenous knowledge systems as central to contemporary art discourse.

Together, the selection traces a continuum between geometric abstraction, symbolic figuration, and Indigenous cosmologies, reinforcing the diversity and evolving narratives of Latin American art across generations.

Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe
Mi oni (Pintas de cara), 2023
Tinta sobre papel.
Políptico de 36 piezas
170 x 200 cm

Pedro Figari
Indios, c. 1918
Oil on canvas
65 x 101 cm

MaPa

The gallery, operating primarily in the primary market and representing artists from the 1950s to the 1980s, including managing family estates while many of the artists are still alive, presents Tudo Que Reluz, structured around the idea of gold as both material and symbol. The booth explores how gold has been historically mobilized in art, not only as a signifier of wealth and power, but as a medium of transcendence, spirituality, and permanence. This concept is spatially anchored by Nature morte by Bernard Bouts, associated with the Galeria Wilhelm d’Einstein in the mid-20th century, around which the booth was conceived. The artist will have a solo project presented by the gallery during the next edition of Frieze Master in London. Within this framework, the gallery brings together artists such as Boi Cezar Ferreira, Chico da Silva, Marcelo Reginato, Eva Soban, Flávio Motta, Habuba Farah and Sepp Baendereck, articulating a dialogue across generations and reinforcing the depth and diversity of Brazilian art history.

With works sold ranging from R$10.000 to R$150.000, the Galeria MaPa confirms a solid commercial response. Additional sales include a work by Chico da Silva from 1967 for approximately R$200.000 to a Brazilian collector as well as Bernard Bouts Nature morte placed for around R$120.000 with an American collector based in Brazil, reflecting both local and international demand.

Particular attention was drawn to Lucy Villa-Lobos, whose work captivated collectors for its freedom from rigid artistic frameworks and its highly personal visual language. Her transversal career, spanning geographies such as Africa, China, and Eastern Europe, has shaped a unique practice that moves fluidly between modernist figuration and textile-based abstraction, generating strong curiosity and engagement at the fair.

Chico da Silva
Untitled, 1967
Gouache on paper mounted on hardboard
55 x 76 cm 

Sold: R$200.000

Bernard Bouts
Nature morte, n.d
Oil and gold leaf on eucatex
75 x 61 cm

Sold: R$120.000

Rafael Moraes

The booth by Rafael Moraes presents a dialogue between two fundamental figures of Brazilian art who explored jewelry as an extension of their practice: Liuba Wolf and Roberto Burle Marx. Through their works, jewelry emerges not merely as adornment but as a sculptural and conceptual field, bridging art, design, and material experimentation. Notably, Liuba Wolf’s pieces, primarily brooches and pendants, were originally conceived as editions but were never formally produced as such; today, they remain rare and largely unique works, preserved through the artist’s estate.

This dialogue is further reinforced through Burle Marx’s creations, including jewelry designed by the artist and executed by his brother Haroldo using Brazilian stones, alongside sculptures and paintings that expand this exchange across media. The presentation has generated strong engagement from both Brazilian and international audiences, with sales to European and North American collectors and growing institutional interest, reflecting an increasing global recognition of Burle Marx’s practice with upcoming exhibitions at the Paul Klee Center in Bern and at the Fundación Juan March in Madrid, the latter dedicated in part to his jewelry production.

Flexa

The Flexa reports strong sales, including works by Alfredo Volpi, two works by Tomie Ohtake, two by Adriana Varejão, as well as works by Abraham Palatnik, Ascânio MMM and Lygia Pape, among others, confirming sustained demand for both modern and contemporary masters.

A particular highlight is Tarsila do Amaral’s Terra, presented with an estimated value of R$19M, reinforcing both the historical significance and the continued strength of Brazilian modernism at the highest market level.

The gallery presents a curated selection that brings together key figures across modern and contemporary art, including Lucio Fontana, Yves Klein and Louise Bourgeois. The presentation reflects the gallery’s rigorous program, grounded in the plurality of approaches and in the strength of dialogues across historical periods and geographies.

Tarsila do Amaral
Terra, 1943
Oil on canvas
61 x 80.2 cm 

Asking Price: R$19M

Frente

The gallery participates with a project that articulates history, market, and research, proposing a dialogue between artists such as Mira Schendel, Di Cavalcanti, and Eliseu Visconti. Within this framework, the presence of a monumental Sam Francis, priced at over  $1.2M, foregrounds color as an autonomous phenomenon.

The presentation is further anchored by an exclusive space dedicated to the work of Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato, with three paintings sold in the range of R$600.000 to R$1M, extending a dialogue with the artist’s current exhibition at the gallery. The sale of a textile panel by Roberto Burle Marx further confirms sustained demand for key figures of Brazilian modernism.

II. Contemporary Art Galleries

Galatea

The Galatea opened SP–Arte 2026 with a strong pace, reporting 27 works sold and approximately R$4.4M in sales by Friday. As the fair progressed, this momentum intensified, culminating in a record-breaking total of 59 works placed by the closing, spanning both primary and secondary markets.

Demand was particularly strong for key figures of Brazilian modernism, with multiple works by Rubem Valentim leading the results, alongside placements of Alfredo Volpi, Antonio Dias and Ivan Serpa. The pricing structure reveals a well-balanced market dynamic: primary works circulated between R$30.000 and R$250.000, while the secondary segment extended from R$220.000 up to R$1.5M, reflecting both accessibility and depth at higher levels.

The gallery’s curatorial strategy, articulating dialogues between its program, historical modern masters, and practices outside the traditional canon, proved particularly effective. Structured through distinct nuclei, including Pop Art Brasileira: uma política de contrastes, the booth reinforced Galatea’s positioning at the intersection of historical rigor and market responsiveness.

Particular attention is given to Paulo Roberto Leal and Allan Weber. Leal’s work is currently the subject of the exhibition Maleabilidades construtivas (March 28 – May 9, 2026) at Galatea (Padre João Manuel), reaffirming his role within the expansion of constructive practices in Brazil. Meanwhile, Allan Weber presents Existe uma vida inteira que tu não conhece at the Instituto Tomie Ohtake in 2026, consolidating his growing institutional presence and engagement with urban narratives and social memory.

Fortes D'Aiola & Gabriel

Opening with a highly dynamic first day, the Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel celebrates its 25th anniversary with strong attendance and a positive reception from collectors, artists, and long-time supporters. The booth reflects both the gallery’s historical depth and its continued relevance within the contemporary scene.

Among the sales highlights are works by Iran do Espírito Santo, Mauro Restiffe, Leda Catunda, Sarah Morris, Robert Mapplethorpe, Tamar Guimarães, Barrão, Pélagie Gbaguidi and Erika Verzutti, among others, reinforcing the gallery’s ability to position both established and contemporary artists within a highly active market environment.

Estação

Reporting strong sales on the opening day of SP–Arte 2026, the Galeria Estação highlights the continued demand for self-taught Brazilian artists. Several works by Aurelino dos Santos, who passed away in January, were sold with a range price of R$180.000 including one acquired by collectors Tereza and Cândido Bracher and donated to the Pinacoteca de São Paulo. Additional highlights include the strong reception of Santídio Pereira, with nearly all works sold on the first day, with prices around R$175.000, notably in dialogue with a design collaboration with dpot objeto. The gallery also reports significant sales of Rafael Pereira, with works around R$19.000, currently the subject of a large-scale exhibition occupying two floors at the gallery, reinforcing a price range that spans from accessible entry points to more established market positions.

At SP–Arte, in collaboration with Cave Gallery, the gallery presents a solo booth dedicated to Navegante Tremembé, curated by Lucas Dilacerda. Titled Arquivos da Terra, the project brings together paintings that express Tremembé cosmology through ancestral and dreamlike landscapes, produced using toá, a natural pigment technique rooted in her territory in Ceará. The presentation received a strong response at the fair, with the booth fully sold out, confirming both institutional and market momentum.

Simões de Assis

Simões de Assis reports a highly successful edition in the secondary market for high-value works. Within the contemporary segment, let’s highlights a significant institutional sale: a work by Zé Palito, whose practice is included in the collection of Instituto Inhotim, was acquired by a museum in China for approximately R$200.000, underscoring the growing international circulation of Brazilian artists.

In parallel, the gallery confirms the strong market reception of Thalita Hamaoui’s current exhibition, now fully sold out, with 12 works placed in the range of $15.000 to $90.000. The artist is already part of the Pérez Collection at Espacio 23, further reinforcing her institutional visibility.

This momentum unfolds within a broader international context, marked by the closing of Bees Beings Beans by Diambe at Kunsthalle Basel this weekend, as well as the recent opening of an exhibition by Jean-Michel Othoniel in Belgium, ahead of his upcoming solo show at Casa de Vidro in May.

Zéh Palito
We crossed the Cais do Valongo, 2026
Acrylic and oil on canvas
160 x 130 cm

Sold: R$200.000

Thalita Hamaoui
Nascer Manacá, 2026
Oil and oil stick on canvas
160 x 210 cm

Sold

Raquel Arnaud

Raquel Arnaud reports significant results on the opening day, with sales ranging from R$60.000 to over R$200.000. Highlights include works by Amilcar de Castro, Célia Euvaldo, Elizabeth Jobim and Iole de Freitas, confirming strong demand for artists working within abstraction and spatial investigation.

The booth brings together a wide-ranging selection of artists whose practices have shaped the development of abstraction and spatial research in Latin American art. The presentation includes names such as Carlos Cruz-Diez, Ding Musa, Julio Villani, Jesús Rafael Soto, Luis Tomasello, Sergio Camargo, Sérvulo Esmeraldo, Tuneu, Waltercio Caldas among others reinforcing a dialogue across generations and geographies.

Continua

The Galleria Continua reports strong sales, with a near sell-through of works by Oswaldo Gonzalez, priced around $30.000, and multiple placements of Ana Tavares, including recent 2026 works. The gallery also placed several key works by Anna Maria Maiolino, Mira Schendel and Paulo Monteiro, alongside editions and unique works from the Plateia series, reinforcing strong collector demand across both modern and contemporary segments.

In parallel, the booth highlights a conceptual project by Yhuri Cruz, currently the subject of a solo exhibition at the gallery. Centered on a performative installation structured around a fictional family inheritance, the work explores themes of memory, legacy, and absence through objects, narrative, and ritualized actions. With ongoing discussions with the Pinacoteca de São Paulo regarding a potential acquisition, the project underscores the gallery’s ability to bridge strong market performance with ambitious, institutionally oriented practices.

Zielinsky

Zielinsky reports strong sales, with a high volume of works placed, albeit at more accessible price points, reflecting a shift toward broader collector engagement. Among the highlights is Dennis Moreira, part of the Coletivo Vilãnismo, whose series, originally presented at the São Paulo Biennial, has seen significant demand, with works priced between $10.000 and $18.000 in editions of five. The series, which reconstructs the artist’s ancestry through AI-generated portraits combined with African masks, was acquired by both private collectors and institutions, including placements in São Paulo-based collections.

Other strong sales were recorded across emerging artists such as Rodrigo Bivar, Rodrigo Tenis, Daniel Ramos and Diego Cruz. Notably, Diego Cruz launches an open-edition wearable work, a T-shirt priced at R$500, expanding the gallery’s reach to new audiences. The piece appropriates the phrase calado 1 poeta, referencing a controversial statement made to Pelé during the 1994 World Cup, recontextualizing it within a critical reflection on race, silencing, and power structures. Positioned as an “unofficial” Brazilian national team jersey, the work engages directly with current political and cultural tensions, including the global visibility of football, electoral cycles, and contemporary geopolitics.

Blurring the boundaries between art, fashion, and social commentary, the project reflects a broader shift toward hybrid practices and expanded audiences. The activation of the work extends into the fair itself, with the artist scheduled to be present on Saturday to sign the T-shirts, reinforcing its performative and participatory dimension.

Casa Triângulo

Following an exceptionally strong opening day, the Casa Triângulo reports near-total sell-through of its booth, marking one of its most dynamic performances in recent years. The gallery placed all works by Joana Vasconcelos, who is currently presenting the exhibition Jardim do Éden at the Farol Santander, on view through mid-2026, and Sandra Cinto, whose presentation at the fair reinforces the trajectory of her current solo exhibition Dois Infinitos (March 28 – May 16, 2026), her eleventh with the gallery, entirely sold out and confirming both institutional recognition and sustained collector demand.

This strong commercial response extends across the booth, with multiple placements of works by Vânia Mignone, Assume Vivid Astro Focus, Lucas Simões, Eduardo Berliner, Rafael Chaves and Antonio Henrique Amaral, underscoring the gallery’s ability to position artists across generations within a highly responsive market.

Portas Vilaseca

The Portas Vilaseca presents a booth oriented toward institutional dialogue at SP–Arte 2026, with several works already in negotiation and strong interest from collectors. Sales have been steady, including a bronze sculpture by Nádia Taquary, for R$430.000, which has generated strong interest from collectors, with six clients currently considering the final edition, reinforcing the demand for the artist’s work at the fair. The gallery also mention discussions are underway with the Pinacoteca de São Paulo regarding a work by Íris Helena, currently in the process of securing a donor for acquisition.

The booth also highlights Ayrson Heráclito, with one work sold and a significant institutional presence marked by over 200 works currently on loan to the Venice Biennale 2026, including sculptures and works on paper. Rooted in ritual, memory, and Afro-Brazilian cosmologies, his practice reinforces a strong dialogue between market visibility and major international exhibitions.

Alongside this, emerging artist Amorí, recently represented by the gallery since 2026, presents a new body of paintings and sculptural works exploring the landscapes of Pernambuco through a lens that merges cosmology, memory, and environmental transformation. With an upcoming institutional project in São Paulo and participation in Panorama at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, her practice signals a growing trajectory within the contemporary Brazilian scene.

Amorí
Peleja, 2026
Oil on canvas
160 x 300 cm

Anita Schwartz

Curated by Ulisses Carrilho, the gallery presents a historically grounded booth, bringing together works that traverse generations, including significant historical pieces by Wanda Pimentel. Centered on the body as a symbolic and political field, the display is marked by a standout installation by Lenora de Barros, whose Procuro-me (2001) envelops the space and activates a tension between presence, identity, and language. Notably, the gallery introduced a curatorial shift on Friday, reconfiguring the booth’s presentation and reinforcing its dynamic approach throughout the fair.

With significant sales during the preview, the gallery confirms a solid performance. Highlights include Exercício sobre jornal, 1973 by Yolanda Freyre, acquired by the Pinacoteca de São Paulo through a donation by collectors Alfredo and Rose Setúbal, alongside works by Cristina Salgado, Bruno Lyfe, Gabriela Machado and Antonio Manoel placed in major private collections, including internationally. This momentum extends into the gallery’s 2026 program, beginning with the group exhibition Veludo (April 14–25, 2026), presented in the context of Rio Fashion Week and curated by Ulisses Carrilho, followed by solo exhibitions, notably Cristina Salgado, currently on view at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo.

Wanda Pimentel artwork on the left: R$450.000; artwork on the right: R$1.1 M.

Eduardo Fernandes

Opening with strong sales the gallery Eduardo Fernandes reports placements across multiple artists, including works by Eloísa Crocco for R$120.000, Rosana Nady for R$70.000, Renata Egreja R$18.000 and Jaqueline Duncan for R$9.000, alongside a strong volume of sales of Shu Lin, with five works placed at around R$5.000 each. The gallery also notes interest from São Paulo-based collectors in works by Fernando Arias, whose pieces are priced around R$90.000.

A particular highlight is Eloísa Crocco, whose practice engages with material reuse and environmental narratives, transforming reclaimed wood into geometrized compositions rooted in research on Amazonian landscapes. Her recent trajectory includes participation in the Bienal do Mercosul and a solo presentation at the Farol Santander, where she was featured among a select group of artists exploring elemental themes. This institutional visibility reinforces the gallery’s positioning in bridging emerging practices with broader curatorial and museum contexts.

Athena

Athena Gallery reports strong engagement from São Paulo based collectors. Highlights include works by Renata Leoa, placed around R$60.000, alongside three works by Ayla Tavares from a series developed in Paris during her presentation at Hatch Gallery, for €6.000 each. The gallery also placed works by Wanderlei Lopes, around R$80.000, confirming a steady demand across its program. 

Among the emerging names, Jonas Arrabal stands out for his investigation into the relationship between organic and industrial materials, combining elements such as bronze and coral in sculptural compositions that evoke tension between nature and fabrication. Originally from Cabo Frio and currently based in São Paulo, his practice reflects a growing interest in material hybridity and environmental dialogue, positioning him within a new generation of Brazilian artists exploring expanded sculptural languages.

Jonas Arrabal

#2 (Série “Vertebrais”), 2026

Bronze and coral

90 x 70 x 40 cm

Asking Price: R$ 24.000

Verve

The Verve reports strong sales performance, with multiple placements during the opening, including works by Otto Ferreira, Victor Fidelis, Leticia Lopes, Daniel Mello, Francisco Hertz, Moises Patricio and the artistst Adriel Visotto whose works were fully sold out. The booth is structured around a central sculpture by Nadia Taquary, previously presented in her installation at the São Paulo Biennial, with ongoing interest suggesting a potential sale by the end of the fair.

Beyond the fair, the gallery’s program reflects growing institutional visibility, with recent acquisitions including works by Victor Fidelis for the Centre Pompidou and by Mayara Ferrão for the Museum of Modern Art, alongside placements in U.S. collections and recognition at international fairs such as Expo Chicago. This trajectory underscores Verve’s positioning within a new generation of Brazilian galleries connecting emerging practices to global institutional networks.

A Gentil Carioca

A Gentil Carioca presents a dynamic booth, highlighting a new generation of artists alongside established names from its program. Among the standout figures is Rose Afefė (35), whose practice is rooted in the construction of a micro-community in Chapada Diamantina was donated to Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo. Developed as a long-term, site-specific project, her work draws from vernacular architecture and everyday materials, translating fragments of this lived environment into sculptural compositions that evoke a form of contemporary archaeology. Recently in residence in São Paulo, her trajectory reflects a growing visibility following her participation in Abre Alas and subsequent exhibitions with the gallery.

The booth also reflects strong institutional and collector interest across its program. Agrade Camiz and Vivian Cacuri achieves notable visibility with her works entering important collections, including a forthcoming donation to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of NY for both. Vivian Caccuri is also in discussion for a museum placement in Germany, while Laura Lima continues her institutional trajectory following recent international exhibitions at ICA London. The program further includes Ana Silva, recently exhibited in Bergamo was adquired last year by the El Espacio 23 from the Perez colelction in Miami. 

Miguel Afa, returning from a residency in Rome, is currently presenting an exhibition at A Gentil Carioca’s new space in the city, located in a building designed by Jean Nouvel for the Fendi family. Arjan Martins, who has recently opened an exhibition at Olney Gleason Gallery in New York and is expanding his international representation.

Two additional artists worth highlighting during this edition of the fair are the painter Mariana Rocha, and Siwaju Lima, who presents sculptures at SP–Arte while simultaneously holding a solo exhibition Aos temporais, marés de retorno, opened on April 11, 2026, and remains on view through May 30, 2026 at Auroras, São Paulo.

With works ranging between R$20.000 and R$60.000, the booth underscores the gallery’s role in fostering emerging practices while strengthening their institutional and global presence.

Rose Afefė
Beco do Reggae, 2026
Acrylic, acrylic putty, sand, plaster and glue on canvas
117 x 80 x 4 cm

Donated to Pinacoteca of Sao Paulo 

Luciana Brito

Luciana Brito presents a curatorial framework that bridges historical depth and contemporary perspectives. The booth notably includes two historical paintings by Waldemar Cordeiro, one of the leading figures of Brazilian Concrete art, represented by the gallery: a Spirale from 1951, belonging to the Ruptura period, and a work from the Geometria Intuitiva series, 1960. These works anchor the presentation within the foundational narratives of Brazilian abstraction.

Alongside this historical axis, the gallery reports multiple sales of works by Rob Wynne, placed in Brazilian collections, with prices around $120.000 of his unique works attracting consistent attention from local collectors.

The booth also includes works by Caio Heiserwitz, whose photographic practice engages with natural landscapes and perceptual dynamics, with sales around  R$190.000. Together, these presentations reflect the gallery’s strategy of expanding its international roster while maintaining a strong connection with the Brazilian collector base.

Rob Wynne
Up, 2025
Spilled and mirrored glass with mirror inserts
302 x 135 cm

Sold: $120.000

Janaina Torres

The Janaina Torres Galeria, approaching a decade of activity, presents a focused selection that reflects its trajectory and commitment to emerging Brazilian artists.

Manuela Navas, based in Caraguatatuba (São Paulo state), is a self-taught artist whose practice explores the feminine universe as a central theme. She is featured with works ranging between R$20.000 and R$65.000. Her interdisciplinary practice spans painting, illustration, and collaborations with the fashion industry. She was recently featured in Vogue and collaborated with the Marco and Miranda brand, linked to the Valentino family, on a new collection presented in Milan. In parallel, her work in literature has gained recognition through her illustrations for Do Chupinho, by Itamar Vieira Júnior, for which she received the Revelation Award in Illustration last year. Her work continues to gain visibility, with a solo exhibition scheduled for next year at the Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR).

The presentation also includes Caio Pacella, based in Rio de Janeiro, whose works are positioned around R$75.000. Recently acquired by the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, his practice is further shaped by a residency at the MECA (Instituto McLaren) in Niterói, an experience that informs his engagement with religious and cultural narratives in Brazil. Together, the artists reflect the gallery’s balanced approach between market accessibility and growing institutional recognition.

Inox

Opening with a focused group of transactions, the Inox reports the sale of three works by Jorge Mayet,ranging between R$160-170.000 including large-scale paintings, a unique work by Lívia Moura was sold at approximately R$80.000 alongside one work by Antonio Asís for R$35.000 and an installation by Zé Angel. 

Beyond the fair, the gallery had already secured an institutional placement prior to SP–Arte, with three works by Lívia Moura acquired by the VIK hotel-museum project in São Paulo state. While the number of transactions remains selective, the booth reflects consistent collector interest, particularly around Jorge Mayet’s works, which continue to attract demand at higher price points, with ongoing negotiations extending beyond the initial sales.

Cavalo

The Galeria Cavalo highlights strong interest at the fair, particularly around Eustáquio Neves, whose work has attracted significant attention ahead of his participation in the Venice Biennale 2026, reinforcing his growing international visibility.

Among the emerging names, Tainan Cabral stands out as a key highlight of the booth, with an upcoming solo exhibition scheduled at the Museu de Arte do Rio later this year, further consolidating his institutional trajectory. Douglas de Souza also draws strong attention with a large-scale installation composed of 24 paintings, each corresponding to a musical track, forming a visual “playlist” that expands the dialogue between image, rhythm, and narrative.

Eustáquio Neves
Retrato Falado, Eustáquio Neves, 2020
Wooden boxes with images printed on rice paper and cotton paper
19 x 14 cm

Yehudi Hollander-Pappi

The gallery, founded just one year ago, presents a booth focused on supporting young and experimental practices, with a strong emphasis on production and conceptual development. Despite its recent formation, it reports significant milestones, including the acquisition of a video work by Gabriel Massan by the Pinacoteca de São Paulo. The work, part of an interactive video game edition, reflects the artist’s growing international recognition following his major exhibition at the Serpentine Galleries in 2020.

Additional sales include works by Castiel Vitorino Brasileiro and Adriana Amaral, alongside multiple placements across the booth, confirming interest in emerging Brazilian artists. Price points vary significantly depending on the artist, with works such as those by Renata Haar reaching around R$180.000. The presentation brings together a new generation of artists engaging with painting, sculpture, and installation, often through experimental and process-driven approaches, reinforcing the gallery’s role in fostering early-career trajectories and institutional visibility

Luisa Strina

The booth brings together artists from different generations and geographies, including Alexandre da Cunha, Anna Maria Maiolino, Clarissa Tossin, Fernanda Gomes, Leonilson, Leonor Antunes, Marcius Galan, Marepe, Pedro Reyes and Renata Lucas, among others, reflecting the gallery’s ability to articulate historical depth with contemporary experimentation across Latin America and beyond.

Following the recent institutional visibility of Cinthia Marcelle, notably through her participation in major international exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale 2022, Galeria Luisa Strina reports the sale of three works by the artist during SP–Arte 2026, confirming sustained demand for her practice. Known for her engagement with systems, labor, and collective processes, Marcelle continues to consolidate her position within the global contemporary art scene.

Laura Lima is currently featured at the ICA London, while Clarissa Tossin has recently entered the LACMA collection. Alexandre da Cunha is currently on view in a dialogue exhibition with Dudi Maia Rosa at Gomide&Co, and Marina Saleme prepares an upcoming exhibition alongside a book publication launch.

This international momentum extends to Brisa Noronha, currently exhibiting in Turin at the Società Interludio, and  Anna Maria Maiolino, who presents a solo exhibition at the MAAT Lisbon. The gallery also highlights Juliana dos Santos, whose recent presentations during the Biennial and at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo have led to acquisitions by Latin American collections, reflecting a growing recognition of her work within the region.

Laura Lima
Ninho comunal #14, 2026
Straw, sisal and wood
204 x 104 x 35 cm

Carmo Johnson Projects

The Carmo Johnson Projects reports solid sales at SP–Arte 2026, with works placed across all three featured artists. Belony Ferreira sold three works , two for R$60.000 and one for R$17.000, Nara Guichon placed two works for R$70.000 each, and Bea Balen Susin sold one work for R$65.000, reflecting a balanced demand across the presentation.

The exhibition design by Miguel Croce introduces a fluid, curvilinear spatial logic that echoes Oscar Niemeyer, reinforcing an organic dialogue between the works and the viewer.

Belony Ferreira, now 90 years old, began her artistic practice after a life as a farmer. Working exclusively with earth in its various forms, ranging from translucent pigment applications to dense, material surfaces, she has, since the 1980s, developed a practice that transforms soil into a language of memory and gesture. 

The gallery also signals a growing market trajectory, with early acquisitions by major São Paulo collectors and increasing institutional interest, positioning Belony Ferreira at the beginning of a broader cycle of recognition.

Cave + Estação

The collaboration between Estação and Cave presents a solo booth dedicated to Navegante Tremembé, confirming both strong sales and growing institutional visibility. Of the 20 works presented, 15 were sold, primarily to collectors from Minas Gerais, within a price range of R$10.000 to R$35.000. This commercial performance reinforces the rapid consolidation of the artist’s market, following her Prêmio PIPA recognition in the previous year and her three-year collaboration with the gallery.

Beyond the market, Navegante Tremembé’s trajectory is marked by increasing institutional presence, with recent entries into collections such as the Pinacoteca de São Paulo and the Museu de Arte Contemporânea do Ceará, alongside international articulations spanning Macau and Marrakech, and potential future inclusion in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Upcoming highlights include a solo exhibition at Estação at the end of April and participation in the Ceará Biennial, coinciding with the opening of the Holanda and Edson Queiroz Museum, consolidating her position within both national and global contemporary art circuits.

Solar dos Abacaxis

The Solar dos Abacaxis presents Luiz Paulino Bizil, reporting strong sales and institutional interest, with approximately 8 to 10 works placed, including a significant acquisition of five works by Instituto Bernardo Paz. With prices ranging from R$2.500 to R$25.000, the booth reflects a wide accessibility while attracting a diverse collector base, primarily from São Paulo.

Bizil’s practice, deeply rooted in his personal history, unfolds as a visual inventory of memory and lived experience, drawing from his time in the Carandiru prison. His growing institutional trajectory includes exhibitions at Solar dos Abacaxis and acquisitions by the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes through Paulo Herkenhoff and the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, alongside presentations at the Itaú Cultural, positioning his work within an expanding dialogue between social history and contemporary Brazilian art.

International Galleries

For the third consecutive year, SP–Arte has been unable to apply the ICMS tax exemption on imported artworks, a structural constraint that has significantly impacted the international presence at the fair. This fiscal barrier continues to limit the participation of foreign galleries, reshaping the ecosystem of the event and reinforcing its predominantly local dynamic.

Despite these challenges, a number of international galleries have maintained a strategic commitment to the fair, choosing to present their artists and engage with the Brazilian market. However, for first-time participants in particular, the reception has proven to be complex. Brazilian collectors remain strongly focused on national artists, driven by a combination of cultural affinity, market familiarity, and the current tax framework, which does not incentivize the acquisition of foreign works.

This situation reveals a dual tension. On one hand, international galleries face structural and commercial obstacles that discourage sustained participation. On the other, international collectors visiting the fair express surprise at the relatively limited global representation, which can affect the perception of São Paulo as a fully integrated node within the international art circuit.

Ultimately, this dynamic points to a broader systemic issue, one that is deeply rooted in political and fiscal policies, and which tends to perpetuate itself. While SP–Arte remains a powerful platform for Brazilian art, the question of international integration remains unresolved. Against this backdrop, it becomes essential to examine the results of the fair more closely, in order to understand how these constraints are concretely reflected in sales, visibility, and institutional engagement.

Baró

Spain

Baró Galeria, which has been regularly participating in SP–Arte and was previously based in Brazil, does not face the same challenges as newly arriving international galleries. This is largely due to its longstanding relationship with Brazilian collectors and a program that is well adapted to the interests of the local scene, even while introducing international artists. There has been particularly strong demand from collectors across São Paulo, Goiás, and Brasília for works by Joana Vasconcelos and Ayako Rokkaku.

The booth places a strategic focus on artists such as Mamali Shafahi and Domenico Gutknecht, whose works priced between $6.000 and $10.000, are increasingly sought after by prominent international collectors, including Urs Fischer, Jerry Saltz and Luc Tuymans, highlighting the gallery’s role in connecting emerging practices with global collecting networks.

RGR

Mexico

RGR presents a curated project, centered on Jesús Rafael Soto, exploring key series from the 1970s to 2000. Conceived as a prelude to the artist’s upcoming institutional exhibition at the MASP, the booth creates a dialogue between historical kinetic art and contemporary abstraction across geographies, including artists such as Julio Le Parc and Carlos Cruz-Diez.

Sales include Ambivalence by Jesús Rafael Soto around $150.000, one by Julio Le Parc from the alchemy series sold for $150.000, a work by Carlos Cruz-Diez (edition), and another major piece around $100.000, reflecting strong demand for key figures of Latin American kinetic art. Collectors have been primarily Brazilian, with additional institutional interest linked to upcoming exhibitions, reinforcing the continued relevance of kinetic art within both market and institutional contexts.

ORMA

Italy

Orma Gallery reports strong early results with around 15 works sold in the first two days of the fair. Sales include works by Daniel Lannes, Luciano Maia, Giulia Mangoni, Paulo Agi and Andrea Galvani, reflecting a balanced engagement across the gallery’s program.

The gallery presents a project conceived between Milan and São Paulo, reflecting an ongoing cultural exchange between Italy and Brazil. Among the highlights are works by Giulia Mangoni, whose trajectory bridges both contexts, including participation in the Milan Triennale and a work held in the Museu da República. At the core of the booth is the new series Safe Sex by Daniel Lannes, curated by Victor Gorgulho, launched during the fair alongside a special catalogue published by Cosac Naify.

Atelier Hugo

France

Participating for the first time at SP–Arte, the Ateliers Hugo reports a strong commercial debut, with approximately 30 pieces sold, primarily to Brazilian collectors. Prices ranged between €5.000 and €50.000, with a median around €20.000, reflecting both accessibility and strong demand across the presentation.

The booth highlights artist-designed jewelry by figures such as Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dalí, with particular interest in Cocteau’s works and Dalí’s objects, including a silver cutlery set that attracted strong attention Brazilian collector who lives in New York. The presentation, conceived in dialogue with the history of modern art, also generated institutional interest, with Brazilian museums engaging with the project, underscoring the relevance of artist jewelry as a field bridging fine art, design, and collectible practice.

Salvador Dali
Ménagère Surréaliste, 1957
Sterling silver, 24 Karat gold, enamel and crystals
Set of 6

Asking Price: €49.500

Ruth Bencazar

Argentina

The gallery reports sales across all presented artists, primarily to São Paulo–based collectors. Price ranges vary between approximately €9.000 and €35.000 for works by Catalina León and Alejandra Seeber, while works by Tomás Saraceno are positioned around €30.000, reflecting a consistent engagement across different price segments and practices.

The booth emphasizes artists with strong ties to Brazil and Latin America, reinforcing regional dialogue. On the institutional side, Alejandra Seeber recently exhibited at the Americas Society NY, while Catalina León has presented work in Barcelona at Serpentine Gallery and is currently developing a large-scale site-specific installation project in Los Valles Calchaquíes, in the province of Salta, Argentina, conceived as a community-oriented initiative. These trajectories highlight the growing institutional and cross-regional visibility of the gallery’s program.

Foco

Portugal

Foco Lisboa presents a solo installation by Maria Appelton (27), marking the gallery’s first participation with a focused curatorial approach. Composed of seven suspended textile-based structures, the installation explores processes of hyper-materiality, combining traditional weaving techniques with unconventional materials such as wood, plastic, and organic elements. The result is an immersive spatial experience that invites audience interaction.

The ensemble is offered as a complete installation at $52.000, reinforcing its conceptual integrity, while individual works are priced between $7.000 and $9.000.

Despite a more limited commercial response at the fair, the artist’s trajectory reflects strong institutional recognition, with recent acquisitions by the Portuguese State Collection and the Fundação La Caixa (António Cachola Collection), alongside her presence in major private collections such as the CAB Foundation in Brussels and collections in Latin America, including that of Juan Vergez in Argentina.

Having previously sold out presentations at international fairs such as ARCO Madrid in 2024, where works were placed during the preview, Appelton’s participation at SP–Arte signals a strategic introduction to the Brazilian market. While the gallery notes a more reserved response from local collectors toward this type of experimental practice, which tends to resonate more strongly with international audiences, the presentation positions her work within a global network of emerging contemporary artists.

Crisis

Peru

The Crisis participates for the first time in SP–Arte with a solo presentation by Santiago Yahuarcani. Following the opening of his institutional exhibition Santiago Yahuarcani: o princípio do conhecimento (April 2 – August 2, 2026) at the Edifício Pietro Maria Bardi, the booth presents a focused group of recent paintings on llanchama, also known as tururi in parts of Brazil. The gallery brought a concise selection of five major works, with prices ranging approximately from $20.000 to $80.000, reporting early sales alongside multiple ongoing negotiations, primarily with São Paulo–based collectors. However, it also notes a broader lack of curiosity and engagement from Brazilian collectors toward a non local artists.

Institutional exposure has played a key role in supporting interest, particularly through the MASP exhibition, which have helped strengthen recognition and identification. For some collectors, more recent presentations, such as the exhibition of Indigenous artists at Flexa Gallery, including works by Yahuarcani, have also contributed to building familiarity and confidence around these practices. His growing international recognition is reflected in acquisitions by major institutions such as the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Tate and the Museo Reina Sofía, as well as strong collector engagement in the United States and Europe, reinforcing the increasing institutional and market visibility of Indigenous contemporary practices within the global art scene.

⁠International Curators and Collectors on Brazil’s Artistic Momentum

Lorena Pérez-Jácome
Collector — Co Founder of Collegium in Avarelo Spain with Javier Lumbreras.

“SP–Arte strikes me as having an incredible level of quality, with a fresh and very compelling proposal. There is a very strong identity within Brazilian art, which sets it apart from what we usually see at other international fairs we are accustomed to attending.We discovered new galleries, artists, and also very interesting collectors. It has been a highly intense experience, with an abundance of information and stimuli, so we are still in the process of absorbing everything and drawing conclusions.

For the moment, the only work I am taking with me is a small piece by an artist I particularly loved, Lucas Dupin, for Collegium, from Lume gallery, and we are also considering acquiring works by Hal Wildson. We were also delighted to encounter the work of Ayla Tavares, who was our first resident in Arévalo. Seeing her evolution is truly remarkable.

Works that particularly caught our attention and that we are still considering: At Luisa Strina, Sidival Fila’s work struck me as particularly beautiful. We appreciate Vermelho’s program and have had a relationship with them for years, but André Komatsu was not previously so strongly on our radar, we both fell in love with one of his works at the fair. Detanico Lain also stood out. We are considering Aiswaju Lima for a possible commissioned work or a residency at Collegium. At A Gentil Carioca, the work of Denilson Baniwa particularly caught our attention. Among emerging artists, we were very impressed by David de Jesús do Nascimento, from Galeria Mitre. The same goes for Érika Magalhães, from Galeria Aura in fact, we considered acquiring one of her pieces.”

Jordan Pieper
Director — Delancey and Greene (New York).

Works with collectors across Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and New York, many of whom have already acquired works by Brazilian artists such as Marina Weffort, Thalita Hamaoui, Bruno Dunley, Diambe, and Felipe Suzuki.

“SP–Arte was warm and inviting. For me, learning about lesser-known modernist Brazilian artists was a highlight. The fair was full of new, fresh material, artists, and ideas. It was incredibly refreshing and gave me a lot of new ideas to bring to my work with collectors in the United States.

We are currently considering a work by Vanderlei Lopes, as well as multiple works by Dani Lanz from Estação, and we will continue to include these artists in our conversations moving forward.”

Alfonso Castor
Board Member of the Curatorial Council of the Museo Tamayo and Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo (PAC), curator and advisor of SOMA México.

“The fair could bring a bit more of international galleries for the Sao Paulo collectors. Regarding international foreign collectors, it’s a great opportunity to understand what is happening in the Brazilian art scene and what Brazil artists have to offer.

In my opinion, Brazilian galleries bring wonderful works to the fair. I was able to buy some artwork from Denis Moreira, Vilanismos collective from Zielinsky Gallery for my personal collection.
What happens around the fair, in the galleries, art spaces, artist studios during these days is also wonderful and I believe that is credited mostly to the fair. Latitude and the association of galleries do a wonderful job showing us around and explaining to us what is happening in the art scene. It was definitely a great benefit for me to visit SP Arte and Sao Paulo’s art scene during this dates.”

Conclusion — SP–Arte 2026

SP–Arte 2026 ultimately confirms a structural shift within the Brazilian art market. While transactions above the $500.000 threshold remained relatively limited, and million-dollar sales either rare or undisclosed due to confidentiality, the fair’s true momentum lies elsewhere. The center of gravity has clearly moved toward the contemporary segment, where both internationally established artists and a rising generation of Brazilian talents are driving demand.

This dynamic is further reinforced by strong institutional validation. Many of the most sought-after artists presented during the fair are already embedded in museum collections or engaged in upcoming institutional programs, signaling a market increasingly aligned with curatorial recognition rather than purely speculative acquisition.

Notably, the prominence of Afro-Brazilian voices continues to shape the narrative of the fair, alongside the sustained and growing visibility of women artists and regionally rooted practices. These segments are no longer peripheral, they are central to both the critical discourse and market performance, reflecting broader global shifts in collecting practices and institutional priorities.

Looking ahead, SP–Arte appears firmly anchored in a trajectory of continuity and expansion. Its ability to attract an increasingly diverse and international audience, curators, collectors, and institutions alike, reinforces São Paulo’s role as a key platform for engaging with Brazilian art on a global scale. This growing visibility is echoed across international fairs, gallery representation, museum acquisitions, and auction results, all contributing to the consolidation of a market that remains uniquely resilient.

Driven by a strong domestic collector base and now amplified by a new wave of international interest, the Brazilian art market stands out for its singular energy, complex, diverse, and increasingly influential on the global stage.

Auctions

Arte para Arte Auction

To assert its structural resilience, the fourth edition of the Arte para Arte charity auction, held on April 9, 2026, emerges as a strategic platform reinforcing the ecosystem that sustains the country’s artistic future.

This year’s edition reached a significant milestone, with total sales reportedly exceeding R$5.2M, marking a record for the initiative. Organized with a clear institutional vision, the auction brought together a carefully curated group of leading contemporary artists, whose contributions reflect both strong market recognition and a shared sense of responsibility toward the broader cultural landscape.

Among the highlights, a 110 × 110 cm azulejo painting by Adriana Varejão, estimated at R$1.6M, achieved an impressive R$2.7M. A work by Alex Cerveny (60 × 30 cm), initially valued at R$200.000, reached R$310.000.

Adriana Varejão
Maragogipinho barro, 2025
Oil and gesso on canvas
110 x 110 x 6 cm

Sold: R$2.700.000

Alex Cerveny
Ne me quitte pas, 2026
Acrylic and oil on canvas
60 x 30.5 cm

Sold: R$310.000

Alongside these established figures, a new generation of voices demonstrated remarkable momentum: a painting by Marcela Cantuária, estimated at R$50.000, sold for R$135.000; Dalton Paula  estimated at R$200.000 achieved R$570.000; and Rosana Paulino sold a 50 × 55 cm painting from an initial bid of R$120.000 to R$340.000 and Rayana Rayo oil on canvas estimated at R$50.000 reached a notable R$300.000.

Dalton Paula
São Cosme, São Damião e Santa Luzia, 2026
Oil on canvas
61 x 54 cm

Sold: R$570.000

Rayana Rayo
Tempo de qualidade, 2026
Oil on canvas
88 x 55 cm

Sold: R$300.000

Beyond the act of donation, the auction signals a growing collective awareness within the Brazilian art scene: that the sustainability of the market depends not only on commercial performance, but on the continuous nurturing of its future protagonists.

The artworks were generously donated directly by artists and galleries, including Nara Roesler, Almeida & Dale, Cerrado, Flexa, Marco Zero, Martins & Montero e Nara Roesler, among others. The funds raised are directed toward institutions operating at the forefront of artistic education and social impact, including Ali.Leste, Bela Maré, Casa do Povo, Fundação Casa Grande, Fundo Elixir, Sertão Negro, Solar, and Spectaculu.

Bolsa de Arte Auction

Next Tuesday, April 14, Bolsa de Arte will also hold a major auction, further reinforcing the momentum of the Brazilian art market during this week.

The sale will feature important historical names, including Di Cavalcanti, Antonio Bandeira, Tunga, Roberto Burle Marx, Jesús Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Sergio Camargo, and Lucio Fontana, among others.

Let’s note that works are presented with particularly attractive estimates, offering compelling opportunities for collectors to acquire significant pieces at competitive price levels.

You can consult the full auction catalogue at the following link:
View the auction catalogue

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Carlos Cruz-diez
Physichromie Panam N. 6, 2009
Chromograph on aluminum
100 x 150 cm

Estimate: R$ 3.000.000 – R$3.500.000

Sérgio Camargo
Relevo, 1964
Relief in painted wood
28 x 19 x13 cm

R$1.800.000 – R$2.500.000

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O post SP Arte 2026: Global Influencers Fascination with Brazilian Art apareceu primeiro em SophieSu.

Marking 10 years of design at South America’s leading art fair

Founded in 2005 by Fernanda Feitosa, SP–Arte has established itself as the leading platform for the art market in Brazil, playing a structuring role in the professionalization and internationalization of the sector. Held annually the fair has progressively expanded its scope in parallel with the growing sophistication of the local collector base and Brazil’s increasing integration into global circuits. In 2026, SP–Arte also marks the tenth anniversary of the introduction of its design section, a strategic decision that significantly redefined the fair’s positioning by consistently integrating historical and contemporary design into its program.

This milestone is reflected in the scale and ambition of this year’s edition, with the design sector bringing together 64 exhibitors across generations and practices, presenting both new works and rare pieces. Located on the ground floor, the sector also hosts the exhibition Existe uma árvore, curated by Livia Debbane, which brings together works by 18 Brazilian designers and traces a dialogue between modern and contemporary authorial woodworking and the history of trees in Brazil. By framing furniture as both material and narrative, the exhibition foregrounds ecological awareness and positions design as a potential agent of environmental preservation.

Further reinforcing this trajectory, the fair inaugurates Design Now, a new section dedicated to contemporary furniture and its creators, curated by Livia Debbane and Patricia Dranoff, with exhibition design by Superlimão. Conceived as a series of intimate display environments, the scenography proposes a more focused engagement with each work, while an installation created from recycled materials, evoking the fluidity of water, marks the entrance of the fair. Far from operating as a peripheral segment, design has become a central axis, reflecting the singularity of Brazilian material culture and responding to a market increasingly attentive to the intersections between art, architecture, and design.

Unlike biennials or institutional exhibitions, the fair is not structured around a single curatorial theme nor led by an overarching curator; rather, it is shaped through a rigorous selection of galleries, whose coherence and quality organically articulate the key tendencies and tensions of the contemporary landscape.

Click the Gallery Name to Preview

Almeida & Dale
Andrea Rehder
Alban
Baró
Carbono
Contempo
Carmo Johnson Projects
Central
Continua
Christal Galeria
DAN Galeria
Estação
Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel
Flexa
Galatea
Luisa Strina
Mapa
Mendes Wood
Marilia Razuk
Nara Roesler
Particular
Paulo Kuczynski
Piero Atchugarry
Pivô
Pinakotheke
Simões de Assis
Sur
Vermelho

Parallel Events

Institutions

MASP

Minerva Cuevas: ecologia social
05 December, 2025 — 12 April, 2026

The exhibition brings together 42 works exploring the intersections between ecology, economy, and power. Inspired by Murray Bookchin’s concept of “social ecology,” Cuevas develops a critique of neoliberalism and the structures shaping relationships between humans and nature, using appropriations of corporate language and materials such as petroleum to reveal the dynamics of contemporary capitalism.

André Taniki Yanomami: Being Image
05 December, 2025 — 12 April, 2026

The first exhibition entirely dedicated to the Yanomami artist and shaman, presenting 121 drawings that translate spiritual visions and Indigenous cosmologies. The exhibition reveals the concept of image as a vital essence (utupë), making the spiritual universe visible through symbolic and vibrant compositions.

Abel Rodríguez — Mogaje Guihu: The Tree of Life and Abundance
10 October, 2025 — 12 April, 2026

A posthumous exhibition featuring 65 drawings that document the Amazon rainforest with botanical precision and ancestral memory. Rodríguez’s work articulates Indigenous knowledge and mythology, highlighting the interdependence between humans and nature and the idea of the tree as the origin of all life.

Sandra Gamarra Heshiki: Replica
06 March — 07 June, 2026

The first major retrospective of the Peruvian artist, presenting 72 works that explore copying, appropriation, and reinterpretation of art history. The exhibition questions museological narratives and colonial legacies, structured as a critical “replica” of both the art system and the artist’s own trajectory.

La Chola Poblete: Andean Pop
06 March — 02 August, 2026

The artist’s first solo exhibition in Brazil, featuring 31 works combining painting, sculpture, photography, and performance. The exhibition addresses identity, colonialism, and representations of racialized and LGBTQIA+ bodies, merging popular and mythological references into a hybrid and political visual language.

Claudia Alarcón & Silät: Living Through Weaving
06 March — 02 August, 2026

The exhibition presents the collective work of Wichí weavers, exploring weaving as both an ancestral and contemporary practice. Using chaguar fibers, the works articulate memory, territory, and mythology, emphasizing collaborative processes and the transmission of knowledge across generations.

Pinacoteca de São Paulo

Macunaíma and Duwid
28 March — 13 September, 2026

The exhibition establishes a dialogue between Macunaíma, a central figure of Brazilian modernism, and Duwid, an entity linked to Indigenous cosmologies. The exhibition proposes a critical reinterpretation of Brazilian identity, confronting colonial narratives with Indigenous and contemporary perspectives, and expanding the understanding of myth, territory, and belonging.

Pascale Marthine Tayou: Knockout
07 March — 02 August, 2026

The Cameroonian artist presents an immersive installation that articulates themes such as globalization, migration, and cultural identity. Through a vibrant and poetic visual language, Tayou uses diverse materials to question social and economic structures, creating a sensory environment that invites reflection on displacement and belonging in the contemporary world.

Cristina Salgado: The Mother Contemplates the Sea
07 March — 02 August, 2026

The exhibition brings together sculptures that explore the female body, motherhood, and the relationship between interiority and space. Through organic and silent forms, Cristina Salgado constructs a poetics of contemplation, where the body becomes landscape and the sculptural gesture evokes states of introspection and transformation.

Museu do Ipiranga

Debret in Question: Contemporary Perspectives
25 November, 2025 — 17 May, 2026

The exhibition proposes a dialogue between the 19th and 21st centuries through the work of Jean-Baptiste Debret, revisiting his legacy from the perspective of contemporary Brazilian artists. Through a confrontation between historical painting and new media, the exhibition reinterprets colonial narratives and investigates the relationships between France and Brazil, as part of the France–Brazil Season 2025.

Museu Afro Brasil

Resounding Silence
29 November, 2025 — 12 April, 2026

The exhibition explores tensions between invisibility and resistance in Afro-Brazilian narratives. Through works that evoke memory and absence, it proposes a reflection on historical silencing and the forms of expression that emerge from these contexts.

Blessings to Quilombo do Jaó Through the Eyes of Children
28 March — 12 July, 2026

The exhibition presents the vision of children on Quilombo do Jaó, highlighting memory, territory, and Afro-Brazilian identity. Through a sensitive and educational approach, it values collective narratives and the child’s perspective as a form of knowledge construction and belonging.

Padê: Sentinel at the Door of Memory
21 March — 26 July, 2026

Inspired by the symbolism of padê, a ritual of communication in Afro-Brazilian religions, the exhibition addresses spirituality, ancestry, and memory. It positions the sacred as a central element in the construction of identities and the preservation of knowledge.

MAC USP

Di Cavalcanti: Militant, Bohemian, Brazilian
08 November, 2025 — 01 November, 2026

The exhibition dedicated to Di Cavalcanti presents 115 drawings from its collection, complemented by works from major Brazilian institutions. The exhibition highlights the multiple dimensions of his production, between political engagement, bohemian life, and the construction of a national identity, reaffirming his central role in Brazilian modernism.

Insurgencies – Feminist Avant-Garde of the 1970s: Works from the VERBUND Collection, Vienna
28 March — 28 June, 2026

The exhibition brings together around 60 feminist artworks from the 1970s from the Verbund Collection (Vienna), in dialogue with works from the museum’s collection. The exhibition critically examines the construction of femininity and the social and political transformations of the period, highlighting artistic practices that challenged gender norms and expanded the field of contemporary art.

Boca do Sertão: Irineu Nje’a Terena
28 March — 28 June, 2026

The exhibition of Irineu Nje’a Terena articulates memory, territory, and Indigenous resistance. Through a poetic and political approach, the exhibition confronts imposed historical narratives and gives visibility to silenced ancestral voices, proposing a reflection on violence, erasure, and cultural permanence.

Art Galleries

Sidival Fila: The Dignity of Matter
15 March — 10 May, 2026
Luisa Strina

Born in Brazil and based in Rome, Sidival Fila has developed a deeply singular practice rooted in spirituality, materiality, and time. A Franciscan friar, his work is shaped by a contemplative relationship to matter, informed by notions of devotion, silence, and transcendence. Working with antique textiles, liturgical fabrics, and historical remnants, Fila disassembles and reconstructs materials through stitching, layering, and tension, transforming them into compositions that carry both physical and symbolic weight. These gestures operate as acts of care and reactivation, restoring dignity to materials marked by use and erosion. Positioned within a broader discourse on memory and the sacred in contemporary art, his work resonates with practices that seek to re-enchant materiality in an increasingly dematerialized world.

Bernardo Ortiz: A Tumult of Hesitations
15 March — 10 May, 2026
Luisa Strina

Colombian artist and writer Bernardo Ortiz develops a practice situated at the intersection of drawing, writing, and thought. His work resists fixed meaning, instead foregrounding hesitation, interruption, and instability as core elements of artistic production. Through minimal gestures, fragmented lines, and textual insertions, Ortiz constructs a visual language that unfolds as a process rather than a resolution. His work engages with traditions of conceptual art and Latin American experimental practices, proposing a poetics of uncertainty where meaning remains in flux. In this exhibition, drawing becomes a space of thinking in motion, where the act of making is inseparable from the act of questioning.

Tomie Ohtake: Blind Paintings
15 March — 10 May, 2026
Nara Roesler

A central figure in Brazilian post-war abstraction, Tomie Ohtake developed a practice defined by the interplay between gesture, color, and spatial tension. In her “blind paintings,” produced with her eyes covered, she radicalizes this investigation by removing visual control, allowing the body and intuition to guide the act of painting. These works, far from being purely spontaneous, reveal a refined sensitivity to rhythm and composition, where gesture becomes both structure and expression. Situated between Eastern calligraphic traditions and Western gestural abstraction, Ohtake’s practice occupies a unique position in the history of modern art in Brazil, articulating a language that is at once disciplined and deeply intuitive.

Artur Lescher: River-Machine
15 March — 10 May, 2026
Nara Roesler

Brazilian sculptor Artur Lescher has built a rigorous body of work grounded in balance, tension, and precision. Associated with the legacy of Brazilian constructive art, his practice extends this tradition into a contemporary exploration of space and perception. In River-Machine, Lescher juxtaposes two conceptual forces—the fluidity of the river and the rigidity of the machine, creating works that oscillate between movement and stillness. Through polished surfaces, suspended elements, and carefully calibrated structures, the sculptures activate space as a dynamic field, inviting the viewer to experience form as a continuous negotiation between equilibrium and instability.

The Decorator’s House: The Future Is No Longer
07 April — 28 April, 2026
Nara Roesler

This exhibition expands the gallery’s program into a more discursive and speculative territory, reflecting on domestic space as a site where aesthetics, ideology, and temporality converge. Bringing together artists engaged with architecture, design, and material culture, the project questions modernist narratives of progress and the notion of the future as a linear horizon. Instead, it proposes a fragmented temporality, where past, present, and future coexist within the domestic sphere, revealing how interior spaces become repositories of cultural memory and political tension.

Alma Terra: Belony Ferreira
April 7, 2026
Carmo Johnson Projects

This solo exhibition presents the work of Belony Ferreira, whose practice transforms earth into a poetic and conceptual language. Working with clay and natural pigments collected from the soil, the artist creates pieces that bear the traces of time, territory, and memory. Through a sensitive engagement with materiality, Alma Terra unfolds as a reflection on rural memory, collective experience, and environmental urgency, positioning the الأرض not merely as substance, but as a living archive of histories and relationships.

The Cordial, the Sympathetic and the Vandal — Marcelo Cidade
From 03 March —  11 April, 2026
Vermelho

A leading voice in Brazilian contemporary art, Marcelo Cidade has consistently interrogated the structures of power embedded in urban environments. His practice, spanning sculpture, installation, and intervention, reveals the latent violence and control mechanisms embedded in everyday materials and architectural systems. In this new body of work, Cidade intensifies his investigation into social behavior and its contradictions, exposing the fragile balance between civility and disruption. By appropriating urban elements and reconfiguring them within the exhibition space, he creates situations that destabilize perception and reveal the invisible frameworks that govern collective life.

Acervo Vivo
02 March — 02 May, 2026
Almeida & Dale

Rather than presenting the collection as a fixed archive, Acervo Vivo activates it as a dynamic and evolving organism. Bringing together works from different periods, movements, and artistic languages, the exhibition constructs a network of dialogues that traverse Brazilian art history. By placing modern and contemporary works in conversation, the show highlights both continuities and tensions, revealing how narratives are constantly reconfigured over time. This approach reflects a broader shift in curatorial practice, where collections are understood not as static repositories, but as living systems open to reinterpretation.

Pedra de Rumo
21 March — 02 May, 2026
Almeida & Dale

Pedra de Rumo explores the idea of orientation and displacement through the metaphor of the stone, an element that embodies both permanence and transformation. The works presented engage with questions of territory, memory, and materiality, constructing a sensory and conceptual journey between past and present. Positioned within contemporary debates on landscape and identity, the exhibition reflects on how matter itself can serve as a guide, a marker, and a witness to processes of change.

Thalita Hamaoui: Body of Wind
19 March — 09 May, 2026
Simões de Assis

Brazilian artist Thalita Hamaoui develops a painting practice that dissolves hierarchies between figure and environment, proposing nature as a fluid and relational field. Her canvases, marked by vibrant chromatic intensity and expansive gestures, evoke an imagined botanical universe where forms emerge and dissolve in continuous transformation. Rather than representing nature, Hamaoui constructs it as an experiential space, where the visible becomes a threshold to the invisible. Her work resonates with contemporary ecological discourses, while maintaining a deeply sensorial and intuitive dimension.

Helô Sanvoy: Cycles, Strata and Das Passagen-Werk
10 April — 30 May, 2026
Aura

Brazilian artist Helô Sanvoy develops a research-based practice centered on matter, time, and historical processes. Structured around three conceptual axes, Cycles, Strata, and Das Passagen-Werk, the exhibition brings together materials such as charcoal, pau-brasil, beeswax, glass, leather, and lead. These elements, loaded with historical and symbolic significance, are mobilized to reflect on extraction, labor, and the formation of Brazilian identity. Sanvoy’s work operates at the intersection of sculpture, installation, and critical historiography, proposing a material archaeology of power and memory.

Anísio O. Couto
26 November, 2025 — 17 January, 2026
Galatea

In the work of Brazilian painter Anísio O. Couto, the pictorial space is conceived as a constructed field where everyday objects are carefully staged. Fruits, utensils, eyes, and eggs are arranged in compositions that oscillate between still life and symbolic narrative. His paintings engage with traditions of representation while subtly destabilizing them, creating a tension between familiarity and estrangement.

Paulo Roberto Leal: Constructive Malleabilities
28 March — 09 May, 2026
Galatea

A key figure in Brazilian constructive practices, Paulo Roberto Leal developed a body of work grounded in process and material experimentation. His practice unfolds through direct engagement with materials, often paper, where point and line become generative elements that extend into three-dimensional space. His work challenges conventional hierarchies between drawing, object, and environment, positioning process as the core of artistic meaning.

Sandra Cinto: Two Infinities
28 March — 16 May, 2026
Casa Triângulo

Internationally recognized Brazilian artist Sandra Cinto constructs immersive environments through drawing, where line becomes both structure and narrative. Her work often evokes seascapes, constellations, and infinite horizons, creating spaces that oscillate between the intimate and the cosmic. In Two Infinities, she deepens this exploration, proposing a poetic territory where perception unfolds as a journey between the visible and the imagined.

Antonio Pichillá: Intercultural Geometry
28 March — 02 May, 2026
Luciana Brito

Guatemalan artist Antonio Pichillá, from the Maya Tz’utujil community, reconfigures geometric abstraction through Indigenous epistemologies. His concept of “intercultural geometry” proposes a space where Western modernist language intersects with ancestral knowledge, ritual, and cosmology. Through textiles, painting, and installation, his work activates form as a vehicle for identity and collective memory.

Alexandre da Cunha — Dudi Maia Rosa
09 April — 23 May, 2026
Gomide & Co

The exhibition brings together Alexandre da Cunha and Dudi Maia Rosa, two artists who have consistently explored the boundaries between painting and sculpture. While Da Cunha engages with industrial and everyday materials to construct objects that oscillate between function and abstraction, Dudi Maia Rosa’s practice is rooted in material experimentation, particularly with resin, exploring surface, transparency, and density. Their dialogue highlights different approaches to materiality within Brazilian contemporary art.

Janaina Tschäpe: Piruetas de Olhos Abertos
09 April — 30 May, 2026
Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel

This exhibition unfolds as a reflection on perception, movement, and awareness, bringing together artists whose practices engage with the body as both subject and medium. Through installation, painting, and sculpture, the works propose a dynamic interaction between viewer and space, destabilizing fixed points of view and inviting a more embodied experience of art.

Yawara Akanga
07 April — 03 May, 2026
A Gentil Carioca

The exhibition presents the work of Yawara Akanga, whose practice engages with identity, spirituality, and ancestral narratives. Rooted in a contemporary visual language, his work draws from cultural memory and symbolic systems, articulating a dialogue between tradition and present-day experience.

Brazilian Modern Photography
28 March — 09 May, 2026
Mario Cohen

This group exhibition brings together key figures of modern photography in Brazil, including Ademar Manarini, Eduardo Salvatore, Gaspar Gasparian, Geraldo de Barros, German Lorca, Gertrudes Altschul, José Oiticica Filho, Paulo Pires, and Thomaz Farkas. It highlights the evolution of the medium as both document and artistic expression, tracing—through a selection of historical works—the construction of a visual language that reflects the social, cultural, and aesthetic transformations of the 20th century.

Cobra Norato
28 March — 30 May, 2026
Zielinsky

This group exhibition brings together Claudio Cretti, Denis Moreira, Gabriel Giucci, Lia Chaia, Lucas Cordeiro, Renata Padovan, Rodrigo Bivar, Trojany, and Vera Chaves Barcellos, exploring narrative, symbolism, and cultural identity through contemporary practices. Drawing from Brazilian modernist mythology, particularly Raul Bopp’s Cobra Norato, the project revisits foundational myths as living structures, reactivated and reinterpreted by each artist. Through diverse media and approaches, the exhibition reflects on transformation, belonging, and the porous boundaries between human, nature, and imagination, expanding the legacy of Anthropophagic thought into the present.

At SP–Arte, the team of Sophie Su Art Advisory will be present throughout the week for those wishing to meet in person. We would be pleased to welcome collectors, both new and established, for tailored conversations around acquisitions, collection development, and navigating the Brazilian and international art markets. For those who would like to connect, you may reach us directly via WhatsApp by clicking the link on the right to arrange a meeting or receive personalized guidance.

O post SP–Arte 2026: The Evolution of a Market Platform apareceu primeiro em SophieSu.

Bandung, on the other hand, is historically associated with a more formalist and modernist approach, stemming from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), where fine arts education has long prioritized abstraction, formal experimentation, and a rigor inherited from Western models.

Yogyakarta (Yogya) stands out for its particularly vibrant and engaged scene, fueled by the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) and a strong community culture. Interdisciplinary exchanges among universities in literature, philosophy, theology, and the social sciences foster relationships between artists and the local intellectual community. Art there is often narrative, political, and rooted in social realities, blending traditional craftsmanship, popular imagery, and experimental contemporary practices.

Finally, Bali offers a unique perspective where art remains deeply intertwined with religious rituals and daily life. Balinese aesthetics, influenced by centuries of Hindu traditions and by exchanges with foreign artists in the 20th century, are characterized by a rich iconography that has inspired schools such as the Batuan school, which blends modernity and spirituality.

Art Central

Located not far from Art Basel and close to the sea, this year’s Art Central 2026 fair is the center of attention thanks to the efforts of the Indonesian government, which, through MTN (Manajemen Talenta Nasional), is supporting the participation of eight young Indonesian galleries based in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Bali. Under the title Rising Currents, the artists presented reflect a multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious society.

Thus, Rising Currents highlights not only a new generation of galleries but also the complex heritage and regional dynamics that shape contemporary Indonesian art.

Sewu Satu

SEWU SATU presents a focused selection of contemporary Indonesian practices, featuring works by Adi Sundoro (Asun) and Muhammad Akbar. The booth proposes a nuanced cultural exchange, positioning artistic production as a bridge between local narratives and global conversations.

Adi Sundoro (b. 1992, Jakarta) develops an expanded approach to printmaking, using it as a conceptual tool to examine contemporary systems of information and authorship. His work explores the circulation and ownership of data in today’s accelerated digital landscape, transforming everyday references, such as food packaging and fragmented documents, into participatory and material forms.  The result is a composition made up of an entanglement of printed paper bags; through the material and its transparency, it reveals a conceptual work that becomes a tangible and poetic object. Through this process, Sundoro reflects on the blurred boundaries between visibility, privacy, and collective experience.

Adi Sundoro
Belantara Data #3 (Data Wilderness #3), 2025
Two offset print on food-grade paper (folded & glued)
100 cm x 155 cm
Edition of 1+ 1 AP

Asking Price: $3.500

Ruci Art Space

The gallery presents a dual focus bringing together works by Aharimu and Cecil Mariani, highlighting two distinct yet complementary directions within Indonesia’s contemporary art scene. The booth articulates a dialogue between painterly intensity and research-driven practices, reflecting the diversity and vitality of emerging voices from the region.

Aharimu’s sweet, highly saturated oil paintings unfold in a visually immersive language, where color and surface play a central role in shaping emotional and narrative depth. In contrast, using different layers of black print, Cecil Mariani develops an interdisciplinary practice grounded in research, navigating between conceptual inquiry and material experimentation. Using charcoal mix media painting and printing technics, Mariani is developing a critical point vue by using photographic or graphic material to express the layered perspective on contemporary Indonesia. 

Cecil Mariani
Guardian of Hollowed Self, 2024
Gum Oil
90 x 130 cm 

Sold: 3000 USD each 

Cecil Mariani
Shamman Sibling #2, 2024
Gum Oil
90 x 130 cm 

Sold: 3000 USD each 

Sal Project

SAL Project reports several sales of paintings of Danni Febriana for $700.00 and $1.300. Founded in 2020, SAL Project has positioned itself as a key platform for emerging artists, fostering practices that engage with both local contexts and global visual languages

This early engagement underscores the relevance of the gallery’s program within the broader context of Art Central Hong Kong, where emerging Indonesian artists are gaining increasing visibility among international collectors.

For this edition, the gallery presents works by Danni Febriana and Irskiy, whose practices navigate the intersection of historical memory, material experimentation, and contemporary culture. Through distinct yet complementary approaches, both artists reflect on how past narratives and evolving visual codes inform present-day artistic expression, offering a nuanced perspective on the shifting landscape of Indonesian contemporary art.

Dani Febriana reinterprets classical Western painting using charcoal and chiaroscuro, from which emerge elements of our shared everyday culture, and completes portraits with expressions straight out of comic books. In parallel, Irskiy develops a practice rooted in material exploration and visual culture, often engaging with urban references and layered compositions that reflect the rhythms and textures of contemporary life. His works suggest a dynamic interplay between structure and spontaneity, contributing to a broader reflection on how images are constructed and perceived in today’s visual environment.

Danni Febriana
The Master after Caravaggio, 2026
Charcoal, spray paint, acrylic on canvas
80 x 70 cm 

Sold: $1.300

Danni Febriana
Monalisa, 2024
Charcoal, spray paint, acrylic on canvas
60 x 50 cm

Sold: $700.00

Ruang Dini

Ruang Dini, a community art space developed by Bandung-based artist Andy Dewantoro, presents a focused selection reflecting the strength and diversity of Indonesia’s contemporary scene, bringing together works by Andy Dewantoro and Maryanto. The booth highlights two distinct yet complementary approaches, both grounded in a critical engagement with history, space, and collective memory.

Dewantoro’s practice unfolds through a multidisciplinary approach spanning painting, installation, and drawing, often combining personal narratives with broader cultural and historical references. His works are characterized by a layered visual language, where symbolic imagery, fragments of memory, and elements of everyday life intersect, creating complex compositions that invite both introspection and interpretation. Drawing on his experience living in Romania and traveling throughout Eastern Europe, he has photographed Brutalist architecture, which he reinterprets in his paintings through muted, neutral tones, constructing poetic yet critical reflections on identity and contemporary society.

In parallel, Maryanto develops a research-driven practice that explores the relationship between landscape, labor, and systems of extraction. Working primarily with charcoal on paper, his large-scale drawings depict mining sites, industrial terrains, and altered environments, reflecting on the ecological and social consequences of human intervention. Through a meticulous and almost meditative technique, Maryanto reveals the tension between nature and industry, positioning his work within broader global discussions on resource exploitation, environmental transformation, and the unseen forces shaping contemporary life.

Maryanto
On the Wild Side, 2026
Acrylic on Canvas
150 x 200 cm

Asking Price: $33.000

V & V

Vice & Virtue (V&V) reports the sale of a work by Joko Nastain for $3.000, reflecting a growing interest in the artist’s practice among international collectors.

Following its debut at Art Shanghai, V&V marks its second international fair participation at Art Central Hong Kong 2026, with works of Joko Nastain’s paintings use a critical and reflective visual language to address social, political, and everyday life dynamics. His works blend figurative imagery with strong narratives, opening a dialogue between personal and collective reality. Nastain’s sharp yet poetic approach invites audiences to interpret and question the meanings behind his visual representations.

Joko Nastain
I’m scared but I want to see it, 2025
Acrylic on canvas 
30 x 40 cm

Sold: $3.000

Puri Art

Puri Art Gallery presents a focused dialogue between two Balinese artists, Irene Febry and Ni Luh Pangestu, whose practices are deeply informed by the cultural systems shaping collective behavior. Invested in the specificities of local traditions, their works offer a nuanced perspective on how inherited structures continue to inform contemporary life. A notable highlight includes the sale of Ni Luh Pangestu’s artwork for $1.600, signaling a rising interest in the artist’s practice.

Ni Luh Pangestu reimagines the figures of Kamasan, traditional characters from shadow theater, using leather. She offers alternative perspectives on the sociocultural traditions of our time, with the aim of preserving, and at times challenging, the values and norms that define our societies.

Irene Febry by creating abstract forms from layers of traditional organic paper, Irene Febri develops a metaphor for nature that bridges the gap between the natural world and lived experience, inviting us to take a critical look at our relationship with our environment. 

Rather than approaching these dynamics as abstract frameworks, both artists engage them as lived realities, inscribed in the body, embedded in materials, and negotiated through daily acts of making. Through this lens, their practices unfold as intimate yet critical reflections on identity, ritual, and the subtle mechanisms through which culture is continuously performed and transformed.

Niluh Pangestu
Draconian Laws, 2026
Variable Dimensions Offset Ink on Carved Linoleum Plate 

Sold: $1.600

Irene Febry
Forest, 2026
Rice paddy paper, banana paper, washi paper, gouache paint, acrylic paint, screen-printing, graphite, photographs printed on acid free paper
44.2 x 39.1 cm 

Isa Art

ISA Art Gallery unveils a conceptually driven booth exploring the role of the line as a carrier of movement, narrative, and perception, drawing from both modernist thought and Indonesian visual traditions. Within this presentation, the gallery brings together practices that engage with the line not simply as a formal element, but as a structuring force through which space, time, and meaning unfold. Notably, the booth also recorded early sales, including three works by Arahmaiani, two sold at $3.500 each and a third at $10.000, confirming strong institutional and collector interest.

Among the artists presented, we particularly highlight Jumaadi, whose practice embodies this approach through a deeply narrative and introspective language. Based between Yogyakarta and Sydney, the artist constructs poetic visual worlds where love, whether romantic or familial, intertwines with mythological figures, spirits, and imagined creatures. His work unfolds as a form of storytelling rooted in personal memory and psyche, where fluid lines and delicate compositions trace emotional states and lived experience. Positioned at the intersection of intimacy and imagination, Jumaadi’s practice reflects a continuous negotiation between inner landscapes and cultural narratives.

This trajectory is further reinforced by his recent participation in institutional group exhibitions across Asia. At the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art, he is included in The Rhinoceros and the Unicorn, a project that reinterprets traditional folktales through largely wordless visual narratives, inviting viewers to construct meaning beyond fixed endings. In Shanghai, Jumaadi takes part in Down to Earth at TANK Shanghai, a curatorial initiative emerging from the TANK Curator Prize that reconsiders human relationships with land, ecology, and interspecies connection. In addition, the artist had the work Upside-Down Garden commissioned for Barangaroo in Australia.

Arahmaiani
Pelangi I, 2019
Acrylic on canvas
118 x 99 cm

Sold: $ 10.000

EDSU House

EDSU Gallery reports solid engagement at the fair, with multiple sales reinforcing interest in its program. Three works by Rizki Tilarso sold at $520 each, while a piece by Ayurika was acquired by a French collector for $2.500, reflecting a growing international attention toward emerging Indonesian practices.

Rizki Tilarso develops a practice rooted in drawing and mixed media, often characterized by intricate compositions and a strong graphic sensibility. His works explore layers of everyday life, memory, and imagination, combining detailed line work with experimental material approaches. Through this process, Tilarso constructs dense visual narratives that oscillate between figuration and abstraction, inviting the viewer into complex, almost immersive pictorial spaces.

In parallel, Ayurika’s work unfolds through a more symbolic and introspective language, often engaging with themes of identity, femininity, and emotional states. Her practice navigates between painting and illustrative forms, where delicate textures and refined compositions give shape to intimate narratives. Through subtle yet evocative imagery, Ayurika creates works that resonate on both personal and collective levels, positioning her practice within a broader reflection on contemporary subjectivities.

Ayurika
Dur, 2025
Oil on Canvas
200 x 150 cm 

Sold: $2.500

Rizki Tilarso
Bentuk Asimetris Antara Bidang & Geometri, 2025
Ruler, Plywood, & Bold
60 x 50 cm

Sold: $520

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026

The Art Basel HK 2026 fair features three major galleries supporting Indonesian artists:

Mizuma

At its booth, Mizuma Art Gallery reports accessible price points for Asian collections, with works sold by Nyoman Arisana and Albert Yonathan Setyawan.

The Gallery has a longstanding relationship with Indonesian art, thanks to its founder, Mr. Mizuma Sueo, who completed a residency in Yogyakarta to foster lasting ties between Indonesia and Japan. Indonesian artists are featured at the booth: Albert Yonathan Setyawan, who created a terracotta relief, a painting from Kemal Ezedine, a Bali based painter and activist, and works from Indieguerillas and I Nyoman Arisana.

In the Encounter section, Ari Bayuajii, a Balinese artist who divides his time between Indonesia and Montreal, immerses us in the oceans with Weaving The Ocean, a monumental installation made of plastic recovered from the ocean and patiently woven by artisans and craftspeople from Sanur, Bali. Weaving the Ocean was first presented in Bangkok in 2022 and has continued to evolve and grow richer with the collaboration of the community of spinners and weavers. This piece is sure to be a landmark work, both for its artistic qualities and intricate details, as well as for its social impact and ecological message. 

Ari Bayuaji has exhibited his work in numerous Asian museums as well as in Düsseldorf, Washington, D.C., and Toronto and participating from institutional collections in Canada, Japan, and Indonesia. The artist is actively preparing for his next solo exhibition, which will open on June 20, 2026, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Baie-St-Paul, Quebec. He is also planning a group exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in May 2026, and in 2027 he will participate in the Helsinki Biennial in Finland.

Gajah

At its booth, Gajah Gallery reports strong sales, including a painting by I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih (Murni) sold for $15.000, a sculpture by Jumana Murti placed at $35.000, and an oil on linen by Mangu Putra sold for $90.000.

Gajah Gallery, with locations in Jakarta, Singapore, Asia’s economic hub, and Manila, actively supports Indonesian art, notably through its current exhibition in Jakarta titled Critically Bali and its booth featuring no fewer than 10 Indonesian artists, including I Gusti Ayu Kadek Muriasih (Murni), who is exhibiting three paintings, and the youngest sculptor, Dzika Afifah. It is worth noting that the presence of Gadja Gallery in Singapore is no coincidence, given the significant number of its artists represented in the halls of the National Museum of Singapore.

Mangu Putra 
Bisikan Hutan (Whispering Woods), 2026
Oil on linen
195 × 300 cm

Sold: $90.000

I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih
Keduanya Make Me Gila
(Both of Them Make Me Crazy), 2003
Acrylic on canvas
149.5 × 100 cm

Asking Price: $120.000

ROH Projects

Roh Projects, based in Jakarta, has supported emerging Indonesian artists since its inception in 2014 and has decided this year to expand its program to Southeast Asia. However, two major artists are featured at the booth: Mella Jaarsma, with a 2005 sculpture titled Floating Image priced at $34.000, and an ink-on-canvas work by Oototol for $12.000.

Mella Jaarsma is an artist and activist known for her complex installations that explore cultural and racial diversity through clothing, the body, and food. She studied in the Netherlands and later in Indonesia in the 1980s, where she eventually settled and built her career.In 1988, she co-founded Cemeti Art House (now Cemeti Institute for Art & Society), an important platform for contemporary art in Indonesia. Her work has been widely exhibited both nationally and internationally, across major institutions in Asia, Europe, and Australia.Her artworks are also included in significant public collections, confirming her influential role in contemporary art, particularly in Southeast AsiaCurrently, 

A retrospective of the Balinese artist Oototol is being presented simultaneously at the Roh Gallery and Komunitas Salihara. His works, painted in “grisaille” using the classical technique of wooden sticks and Indian ink, blend everyday life, the imagination, and social symbols.He often depicts figures in uniform (self-portraits) in various human and fantastical scenes.His world appears simple but reveals great symbolic and metaphorical complexity.His playful style explores the tension between the individual and society, as well as notions of power. His works remain rooted in Balinese cosmology, navigating the realms of life, death, and imagination.

Mella Jaarsma
ASAL – Floating Images, 2005
Batik, military cloths, embroideries

Asking Price: $34.000

Oototol
Untitled, n.d
Chinese ink on canvas
170 x 110 cm

Asking Price: $12.000

The Indonesian art market experienced a major boom in the 2000s, driven by a generation of artists such as Heri Dono, Tromarama, Fx Arsano, and Entang Wiharso. These artists helped shape the transition from the post-Suharto era (1998) to an established democracy. Subsequently, the market matured, undergoing a period of contraction while paving the way for the emergence of a new generation, ready to make its mark on a constantly evolving international market.
Indonesia is increasingly establishing itself as a key economic and geopolitical partner on the global stage. However, it is the community and intergenerational values developed by Indonesian artists within their own artistic ecosystem that undoubtedly form the foundation for even more enduring success. These foundations should enable Indonesian art to achieve the place it deserves on the international stage.

UTOPIA Bali Art: Discovering Utopia Through Art and Ideas.

It was just a short step from Brazil to Bali, which I took over a year ago to develop UTOPIA Bali Art which is an innovative and inclusive platform with the ambitious mission of revitalizing the concept of utopia as a catalyst for critical reflection on the past, present, and future. By challenging established norms and the foundations of society, UTOPIA Bali Art seeks to inspire new perspectives and drive meaningful change.

At the heart of this vision lies the development of an art center on the island of Bali, in Ubud, a village renowned for its deep connection to the arts and spirituality. This strategic location serves as a dynamic link between modern and contemporary art and the humanities.

The art center, designed by DDAP Architect, is conceived as a space that fosters the convergence of ideas and supports a wide range of artistic practices. Contemporary art interacts, among other fields, with architecture, film, music, and the graphic arts. The programming features a diverse group of international artists engaging in dialogue with their Indonesian and Asian peers. Through these choices, UTOPIA Bali Art aims to cultivate an environment rich in exploration, exchange, and creativity.

Franck James Marlot
Curator, Founder of Utopia Bali Art Project.

O post Tides of the Archipelago: Indonesian Art on the Rise in Hong Kong apareceu primeiro em SophieSu.

At the intersection of these exchanges, Sophie Su Art Advisory brings a distinct European perspective, attentive to the subtle forms of “exoticism” that emerge in the encounter between these two seemingly distant worlds. While geographically and culturally divergent, Brazil and Asia share a capacity to generate powerful new imaginaries each, in its own way, offering profound sources of inspiration that continue to reshape and challenge Western artistic frameworks.

Brazilian Galleries

Almeida & Dale

On their main booth, curated by Cristiano Raimondi, Almeida & Dale reports strong sales, including various paintings from Chen-Kong Fang, a monotype by Lygia Pape sold for $80.000, Autumn Settings, a gelatin silver print by Lang Jingshan for $10.000, the sales also includes works by Jaider Esbell, with a work on paper and a painting ranging between $30.000 and $150.000, as well as a painting by Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato sold for $140.000.

The presentation also includes a solo project by Thiago Hattnher in the Kabinett sector, where the 34-year-old artist, following a recent solo exhibition at Kurimanzutto, sold out the entire booth, with all 12 works placed at $10.000 each. A young artist with a rapidly rising profile, Hattnher consistently meets strong collector demand, with waiting lists forming around his production and works often selling out during preview phases, underscoring his growing market momentum.

The booth continues to articulate a dialogue between Asian diaspora artists and Latin American practices, bringing together figures such as Manabu Mabe and Tomie Ohtake, recently featured in a dialogue with Marina Pérez Simão at Pace Gallery, Tokyo (November 4, 2025 – February 11, 2026), alongside key names including Mira Schendel and Alexander Calder. Contemporary voices such as Lidia Lisbôa and Vivian Caccuri further expand this framework, reinforcing the gallery’s role in connecting diasporic and Latin American narratives within the global art scene.

Lang Jingshan
Autumn Settings, n.d
Gelatin silver print
39.4 x 29.4 cm

Sold

Thiago Hattnher
Untitled, 2024
Oil on canvas
30 x 24 cm

Mendes Wood

Once again participating in Art Basel Hong Kong, the Brazilian gallery Mendes Wood brings in its booth a refined selection of artists spanning generations of Brazilian art.

Lucas Arruda, known for his introspective landscapes, was recently exhibited in Lucas Arruda at the Musée d’Orsay (2024), marking a significant institutional milestone. Tomie Ohtake, in turn, is represented in Hong Kong through the collection of M+, reflecting her lasting presence within major international institutions and reinforcing her role in the global history of abstraction.

Lygia Pape was recently featured in Lygia Pape: Weaving Space at the Pinault Collection (October 9, 2025 – January 26, 2026). The exhibition centered on Ttéia 1, C (2003/2025), a major installation from the Pinault Collection, where copper wires stretched across space create a shifting sensory environment, activated by light and the viewer’s movement, fully embodying Pape’s concept of weaving space. On April 7, the gallery Mendes Wood will open a solo exhibition dedicated to the artist at its São Paulo space, further reinforcing her continued institutional and market relevance.

Among contemporary voices, Marina Perez Simão and Solange Pessoa in Solange Pessoa: Corpus at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (2024). The presentation is complemented by Paulo Nimer Pjota, Paulo Monteiro at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo (2023), as well as Patricia Ayres, Paloma Bosquê and Marcos Siqueira, reflecting the gallery’s ability to articulate a nuanced and globally resonant vision of Brazilian art.

Lygia Pape
Ttéia 1A, Plana Dourada, 2000
Golden thread, nails, and light,
292 x 390 x 190 cm

International Galleries

White Cube

London

White Cube highlights the sale of an oil on linen by Marina Rheingantz for $150.000.

Rheingantz develops a painterly practice that oscillates between abstraction and landscape, constructing imagined terrains through layered brushstrokes and subtle chromatic variations. Her compositions evoke fragmented geographies and emotional topographies, where memory and perception merge into fluid, atmospheric forms.

Her work has gained increasing international visibility, with recent solo exhibitions at White Cube and Galeria Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, and institutional presentations including her participation in the 58th Venice Biennale and exhibitions at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, reinforcing her position within the global contemporary painting scene.

Marina Rheingantz
Rosemary, 2026
Oil on linen
150 x 130 cm

Sold: $150.000

Max Hetzler

Berlin

The gallery Max Hetzler report the sale of a work by Janaina Tschäpe, for $150.000.

Tschäpe’s practice unfolds between painting, photography, and sculpture, drawing on myth, the natural world, and aquatic imaginaries. Her large-scale compositions evoke fluid, organic landscapes where body and nature merge, reflecting a sensorial and psychological approach to abstraction.

Her international presence continues to expand with Janaina Tschäpe at Hastings Contemporary (June 13 – September 13, 2026), her first major institutional solo exhibition in the UK, presenting new paintings inspired by the coastal landscape of Hastings. This follows recent presentations in Berlin at Galerie Max Hetzler, and builds on a trajectory of solo exhibitions at major institutions including the Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Kasama Nichido Museum of Art, Irish Museum of Modern Art, and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.

Janaina Tschäpe
Body of snow, 2025
Oil and oil stock on linen
218.4 x 193 x 3.8 cm

Sold: $150.000

Ben Brown Fine Arts

London

Ben Brown Fine Arts reports the sale of Vik Muniz’s Woman with a Parasol, after Claude Monet, 2025, for $40.000.

A central figure in Brazilian contemporary art, Muniz is known for constructing images from unconventional materials, such as sugar, chocolate, or waste, which he then photographs. His work critically engages with image-making, perception, and material hierarchies, often reinterpreting canonical artworks through unexpected mediums.

The artist carefully structures the distribution of 10 editions across key markets on each continent. In Japan, the work is represented by NCA | Nichido Contemporary Art. In the United States, two editions are placed with Sikkema Jenkins & Co. and Rena Bransten Gallery. In Latin America, two are held by Galeria Nara Roesler and Xippas Montevideo. In Europe, two editions are represented by Galerie Xippas and Galeria Elba Benítez. Finally, in Asia, two editions are placed with NCA | Nichido Contemporary Art and Ben Brown Fine Arts.

In 2024, he presented Vik Muniz at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo, reaffirming his role in bridging contemporary art with social engagement.

Vik Muniz
Woman with a Parasol, after Claude Monet, 2025
Archival inkjet print
161 × 127 cm
Edition 6/6 + 4AP

Sold: $40.000

Luhring Augustine

New York

Luhring Augustine highlights the work of Lygia Clark, a seminal figure of Neo-Concretism whose practice redefined the boundaries between artwork and viewer. The gallery is presenting three works on paper, each priced around $200.000, reflecting the sustained market demand for her work.

In parallel, they were negotiating the sale of a Bicho with a major American museum, underscoring the continued institutional interest in Clark’s practice.

A work from her Bicho series was recently acquired by a major American museum, underscoring the continued institutional demand for her practice. Her work has also been the subject of recent institutional presentations in Europe, notably at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin and the Kunsthaus Zürich (2025), reaffirming her central role in the global re-evaluation of postwar abstraction and participatory art.

Lygia Clark
Espaço Modulado, 1958
Cardboard collage
26 x 30,5 cm

Carlos Ishikawa

London

Maxwell Alexandre has gained international recognition with his large-scale paintings, recently presented in Maxwell Alexandre: Pardo é Papel at the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon (2024). Marlene Almeida explores material memory through textile and installation, and in 2025 participated in the 36ª Bienal de São Paulo. In 2024, she was also included in Mãos: 35 anos da Pinacoteca at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo. Antonio Tarsis, whose work reflects Afro-Brazilian memory and spirituality, was recently featured in When We See Us at the Kunsthalle Basel (2024), highlighting the rising visibility of Brazil’s Northeast on the international stage.

In terms of pricing, Maxwell Alexandre’s works are positioned between $16.000 for canvas pieces, $24.000 for works on paper, and up to $28.000 for large-scale paper formats. Marlene Almeida presents wall sculptures around $20.000, while her paintings reach approximately $25.000, reflecting a growing market recognition aligned with their increasing institutional visibility.

Marlene Almeida

Abismo, 2019

13 voile fabric objects filled with sand; mineral pigments, natural binders and ferruginous concretions

118 x 120 cm

Asking Price: $20.000.00

Esther Schipper

Berlin

Rafa Silvares operates at the intersection of sculpture, architecture, and digital image-making. His installations investigate perception, simulation, and spatial experience, often engaging immersive and hybrid environments.

His work has recently been presented in international contexts, including European exhibitions and fairs in 2024, consolidating his position within a discourse on new materialities and expanded spatial practices. On April 21, 2026, the exhibition Double Two opened at 47m Contemporary, featuring works by Jac Leirner and Rafa Silvares, further reinforcing his growing presence on the European scene.

Rafa Silvares
Load, 2025
Oil on linen
180 x 140 cm

Asking Price: $43.5000

Meyer Riegger Wolff

Seoul

A key figure in contemporary Brazilian art, Paulo Nazareth develops a practice grounded in displacement, colonial memory, and invisible histories. Often working through performance and long-distance walks, he positions the body as a living archive of transatlantic narratives linking Latin America, Africa, and the diaspora.

His recent institutional exhibition Paulo Nazareth: Melee at the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (2024) reinforced his presence in the North American context. In 2026, he further expands this trajectory with a major exhibition at the Punta della Dogana (March 29 – November 22, 2026), curated by Fernanda Brenner, where his long-term performative journeys across the Americas and Africa, often undertaken barefoot, are presented as a critical reflection on colonial histories, systemic racism, and the embodied nature of movement and memory.

Paulo Nazareth
Untitled[capeta antes da embriaguês], 2021
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 30 cm

Asking Price: $14.000

Mennour

Paris

The gallery Mennour brings the Brazilian artist Sidival Fila, whose practice unfolds at the intersection of spirituality, materiality, and memory. A former Franciscan friar, Fila works with reclaimed ecclesiastical textiles, antique vestments and worn fabrics, which he transforms into austere, contemplative compositions through stitching and layering, activating the latent histories embedded in the material.

Rooted in a meditative approach to time and gesture, his work resonates with a form of spirituality close to Zen philosophy. In this context, the gallery creates a dialogue between Fila’s practice and that of Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata, highlighting shared concerns with material transformation, impermanence, and the poetics of construction.Rooted in a meditative approach to time and gesture, his textile practice resonates with principles close to Zen philosophy, particularly in its attention to repetition, impermanence, and silence, creating a subtle dialogue with Asian sensibilities and reinforcing the relevance of his work within this context. His work has recently been presented internationally, notably in the exhibition “Sidival Fila” at Galerie Mennour, Paris (2024), reflecting the growing recognition of his practice within the European art scene.

Sidival FilaI
Metafora Avorio 18, 2025
19th century hemp, sewn with cotton threads, on stretcher
100 x 64 cm

David Zwirner

New York

Lucas Arruda develops an introspective painting practice situated between abstraction and landscape. His small-scale works, often based on memory, evoke subtle atmospheres where light becomes the primary subject.

Represented by David Zwirner, he recently exhibited in New York (2023–2024), consolidating his position within major international collections.

Lucas Arruda
Untitled (from the Deserto-Modelo series), 2025
Oil on canvas
18 x 22 cm

Asking Price: $250.000

Proyectos Monclova

Mexico City

The gallery Proyectos Monclova brings together an intergenerational selection of artists spanning Latin American and U.S. contemporary practices, including Macaparana and the Mexican artists Gabriel de la Mora, represented in Brazil by Simões de Assis.

Gabriel de la Mora, in turn, builds a conceptual practice centered on material transformation, using unconventional materials, such as mother-of-pearl and abalone, to expand a dialogue between natural elements and constructed systems. His works range from $65.000 for smaller formats to $135.000 for larger pieces, with collectors increasingly identifying and acquiring key works, including placements with institutions such as M+. The artist is currently on view at Perrotin, New York, until April 11 with his solo exhibition Repeated Original, where he explores the meticulous fragmentation and arrangement of eggshells and glass onto canvases.

Macaparana develops a rigorous abstract practice rooted in geometry, rhythm, and repetition, exploring chromatic structures and spatial balance. His works are positioned between $20.000 and $35.000, reaffirming his solid presence within the lineage of Latin American abstraction. His recent solo exhibition at the gallery, held during Zona Maco (February 2026), marked his first presentation in Mexico with the gallery and closed with strong results, further consolidating his international trajectory.

Macaparana
Untitled, 2024
Pigments and acrylic paint on canvas
100.5 × 100.5 × 4 cm

At Art Basel Hong Kong, a fair historically shaped by the strenght and specificity of Asian markets, the growing presence of Brazilian artists signals more than a geographic expansion, it reveals a deeper, almost intuitive dialogue between cultural imaginaries. While only two Brazilian galleries were officially present this year, 10 international galleries representing approximately 4.2% of the fair’s 240 exhibitors, chose to integrate Brazilian artists into their programs, bringing them into an Asian context that is both demanding and highly codified. 

What emerges is not a forced insertion, but a natural resonance. Brazilian artists, through their layered narratives shaped by histories of colonialism, syncretism, spirituality, and reinvention engage in subtle yet powerful conversations with Asian philosophical frameworks. This affinity was palpable across several booths, where curatorial choices highlighted works capable of transcending borders without losing their specificity.

In this context, presenting Brazilian artists in Asia may still appear as a bold curatorial and market decision. Yet, the results speak for themselves: institutional interest, collector engagement, and solid sales confirm that this is not a passing trend, but a structural shift. Brazilian art is no longer peripheral to the global narrative it is actively reshaping it, even on the other side of the world.

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This work requires time, research, presence on the ground, and a long-term vision. As we look ahead, we aim to expand our impact through institutional partnerships, including projects supported by Brazil’s cultural incentive framework such as the Lei Rouanet, ensuring the continued visibility and recognition of Brazilian artists worldwide.

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O post Brazil at Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 apareceu primeiro em SophieSu.

Let us now analyze how this situation has impacted the Brazilian presence at ARCO this year, both in terms of market performance and in relation to the new psychological dynamics shaping collectors’ choices and their perception of artistic content.

General Program

Casa Triângulo

Casa Triângulo reported strong results during the fair. All works by Fernanda Galvão were sold, with prices ranging between €16.000 and €32.000, acquired respectively by collectors from Greece (smaller work) and Spain (larger work). Part of the gallery’s younger generation of artists, explores organic processes and material transformations through sculptural and pictorial forms that evoke growth, instability, and metamorphosis.

The gallery also sold two works by Sandra Cinto to Brazilian collectors, while another work by the artist was placed on reserve. In 2025, the artist reappeared in the international auction market with the sale of Vôo II, 2022, which achieved $63.500 at Sotheby’s Contemporary Day Auction in November.

In addition, a work by Max Gomez Canle was acquired by a Spanish collection for approximately €10.000.

Lyz Parayzo’s work addresses questions of identity, body, and resistance, drawing on references to urban culture and the trans experience in Brazil. The artist participated in the 17th Lyon Biennale (2024–2025) and in the exhibition O início do mundo at Pinakotheke Cultural, Rio de Janeiro, in 2025. Albano Afonso develops a practice centered on the relationships between image, light, and perception, combining optical procedures and layered visual structures that challenge the boundaries between representation and abstraction. In 2025–2026, he participated in the group exhibition Asa de Chronos at Centro MariAntonia in São Paulo.

Sandra Cinto
Untitled II, from the series Prelúdio para o Sol e as Estrelas (après Mallorca), 2026
Acrylic on wood
27,5 x 15,5 x 2,5 cm cm

Sold

Fernanda Galvão 
Wild Space Lettuce, 2026
Charcoal, dry pastel, oil bar and oil on linen
200 x 230 cm

Sold

Martins & Montero

Maria Monteiro noted that works by Genilson Soares, Hudinilson Jr, and Lia D Castro were sold on the first day of the fair, with prices averaging around €12.000 each. Lia D Castro’s works, which investigate the poetic and emotional dimensions of everyday imagery through painting and drawing, also attracted strong interest from collectors. In addition to the pieces sold at the fair, the gallery reported further acquisitions by private collections in Germany, Belgium, France, and Seoul, highlighting the expanding international reach of the artist’s practice.

The gallery also reported acquisitions of works by Hudinilson Jr., a seminal figure of Brazilian conceptual and body art. Known for his experimental use of photocopy, performance, and the body as a matrix of image production, the artist is currently included in an exhibition at the Museo Reina Sofía. His works were acquired by collections in Germany, France, Austria, and the United States, reflecting continued institutional and market interest in his pioneering practice.

Genilson Soares’ practice explores the intersections between drawing, memory, and symbolic imagery, often combining delicate line work with narrative elements that evoke personal and collective histories. The artist currently has works on view at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, reinforcing his growing institutional visibility within the European context.

Superfície

Superfície presents a solo booth by Ana Amorim, whose work has generated strong interest during the fair. So far, four works have been sold, with prices ranging from €8.800 to €48.800, including an acquisition by a Brazilian collector based between Paris and the United States. The gallery also reported that conversations are currently underway with two major international institutions, although details cannot yet be disclosed.

Amorim’s work has emerged as a compelling discovery for curators and collectors, notably for the conceptual rigor of her practice and her nearly four-decade commitment to producing daily Mental Maps. For more than twenty years, the artist followed a self-imposed conceptual contract that guided her practice: producing one work per day, refusing to sell her works, and declining to exhibit in museums that charged admission or displayed sponsor logos. Through these works and performances counting seconds, days, and hours, she transforms lived experience into the primary material of her practice. Only recently have her works begun to enter the art market.

The presentation coincides with a period of renewed institutional visibility for the artist. In 2025, Amorim presented the major solo exhibition Mapas Mentais at the Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo (MAC USP), bringing together nearly four decades of work, including large-scale installations composed of daily records. That same year, she also presented a significant exhibition at the MAK – Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. At the end of 2024, extending into 2025, the artist held a major solo exhibition, Counting Routines, at the Fundación Cerezales Antonino y Cinia in León, Spain, further reinforcing the international dimension of her trajectory.

Ana Amorim
Second Embroidery Studies 03, 2011
White pencil and white cotton thread embroidered on black cotton cloth
33.3 x 38.1 cm
Asking Price: 8.800

Sold

Raquel Arnaud

The gallery brings together a presentation of Marina Weffort and Julio Villani in a dialogue structured around subtraction and accumulation as poetic strategies. During the fair, two works by Julio Villani and five works by Marina Weffort were sold, acquired by four collectors from the United States, one from Spain, one from Puerto Rico, and one work entering a Belgian collection.

While Weffort develops works grounded in processes of unraveling and revealing structural voids, recently presented in her solo exhibition Da curva, a reta at the gallery’s São Paulo space in 2025 and in the group exhibition O fiar: pontos, nós, corte at Casa de Cultura do Parque, Villani constructs his works through layering, erasure and accumulation, as seen in his 2025 solo exhibition L’eau rougie de la veine mémoire at RX&SLAG in Paris and in recent institutional exhibitions in Brazil, including shows A tela insurgente at Instituto Figueiredo Ferraz and Coleção Vilma Eid: Em cada canto Instituto Tomie Ohtake.

Together, the presentation establishes a shared field of reflection on fragility, resilience and impermanence, highlighting the complementary approaches of two artists whose practices engage with the material and temporal dimensions of contemporary art.

Fortes D'Aiola & Gabriel

Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel brings together a selection of recent works by Brazilian artists, reflecting the gallery’s consistent presence across major institutional exhibitions and international market platforms. The gallery reported several sales across all artists presented at the fair and noted that multiple conversations remain ongoing, ranging from private collectors to institutional collections.

Among the international highlights, Ernesto Neto presented the large-scale installation Nosso Barco Tambor Terra at the Grand Palais in Paris in 2025, marking a major institutional project in Europe. Luiz Zerbini was included in the inaugural exhibition of the new Fondation Cartier space in Paris, reinforcing his longstanding international presence. Janaina Tschäpe has also maintained strong visibility abroad, with a painting sold for approximately $150.000 during Art Basel Paris 2025, underscoring sustained demand for her work in the European market.

In Brazil, Rivane Neuenschwander held the solo exhibition Tangolomango at Inhotim in 2024, further consolidating her institutional presence. Márcia Falcão participated in the 36th São Paulo Biennial, 2025–2026, representing an important recent milestone in her career. Within the gallery’s own program, Cristiano Lenhardt and Luiz Zerbini presented recent works in the exhibition Observations at Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel gallery in 2025–2026.

Almeida & Dale

At ARCOmadrid 2026, Almeida & Dale presented a booth bringing together more than 20 artists, highlighting different generations of Brazilian art. The gallery reported several sales during the fair, led by paintings by Eleonore Koch, priced between $95.000 and $300.000, and works by Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato, ranging from $85.000 to $150.000. Additional sales included works by Carlos Garaicoa, available at $23.000, Ana Elisa Egreja with an asking price of $20.000, Vivian Caccuri at $20.000, Maxwell Alexandre, with works on paper priced between $18.000 and $20.000, and Paulo Pasta at $14.000.

Among the artists featured in the presentation are Lidia Lisbôa, Marlene Almeida, Maxwell Alexandre, Rebeca Carapiá, and Heitor dos Prazeres, who participated in the 36th São Paulo Biennial, 2025–2026, with commissioned works and historical ensembles, highlighting the growing institutional recognition of their practices in recent years.

It is also worth noting that artists such as Ana Elisa Egreja, Eleonore Koch, Jaider Esbell, Maxwell Alexandre, Montez Magno, and Rubem Valentim are currently included in the exhibition Complexo Brasil at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, 2025–2026, reinforcing the dialogue between Brazilian artistic production and international institutional circuits.

Dalton Paula, also presented in the booth, held a solo exhibition titled Infâncias Negras at Lisson Gallery in New York (11 September – 30 October 2025). During the same period, his educational initiative Sertão Negro was presented through a project at Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York. Looking ahead, the artist is scheduled to present linha de resolução (an alignment of pictures) in São Paulo in July 2026, as part of the program of the gallery representing him.

At Collegium (Arévalo), an installation by Tunga, an artist represented by Almeida & Dale, proposes an immersive experience based on reflections, scent, and perceptual shifts, expanding the historical and symbolic dimensions of the curatorial framework.

This year, the gallery also announced the representation of Grada Kilomba (31 January) and Nuno Ramos (2 March). Their inclusion reinforces the gallery’s programmatic expansion and its commitment to artists whose practices critically engage with history, memory, and contemporary cultural debates.

Vermelho

Galeria Vermelho reported several important institutional placements during ARCOmadrid 2026. Among them, an installation by Claudia Andujar and Leandro Lima was placed with the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. The gallery also confirmed the acquisition by the Institut Valencià d’Art Modern (IVAM) of Subterra: Abyssal & Root by Mexican artist Tania Candiani. Although the installation was not presented at the fair, the acquisition was finalized during ARCO and announced by the institution as part of its purchases. First presented at the Helsinki Biennial last year, the work consists of 22 blown-glass objects, two videos, and two sound pieces.

At the fair, Galeria Vermelho presented a booth centered on works by Carlos Motta (Bogotá, 1978) and Brazilian artist Edgard de Souza, bringing together two practices that explore the body and its political, symbolic, and experiential dimensions.

According to the gallery, ARCO remains an important platform for building relationships with local and international public institutions, particularly around conceptually driven projects.

The presentation coincides with a period of renewed institutional visibility. In 2025, works by Edgard de Souza were included in the exhibition Fullgás: Artes visuais e anos 1980 no Brasil, presented at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil in São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, as well as in the group exhibition Liminal in Nature at the Neuberger Museum of Art, New York. Recent works by the artist were also presented internationally at Frieze New York 2025, where embroidered works on linen marked a new development within his practice.

Luciana Brito

Luciana Brito Gallery returns to the fair with a presentation bringing together artists from different generations, highlighting the continuity and diversity of its program. During the fair, the gallery reported sales of works by Brazilian artists Regina Silveira, recently featured in Modus Operandi at the Instituto de Arte Contemporânea (IAC), São Paulo, 2025 and currently participating in La lechuza de Minerva at the Círculo de Bellas Artes, Madrid (until May 10, 2026), and Caio Reisewitz, who recently presented works in Suspendre el Cel at the Fundació Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, Barcelona, 2024 and Delírio Tropical at the Pinacoteca do Ceará, 2025.

Othe sales include Liliana Porter from Argentina and the mexican artist Bosco Sodi, with the works acquired by private collections across Europe, reflecting sustained interest in the gallery’s program.

Luisa Strina

The Galeria Luisa Strina participates with Semear a água: quem tem medo da paisagem, a solo presentation by Juliana dos Santos. The presentation coincides with a period of significant institutional visibility for the artist. In 2025–2026, dos Santos presented Temporã, her first solo museum exhibition, at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, on view through March 2026. Developed from an artistic residency, the exhibition centers on the transformation of natural pigments derived from the Clitoria ternatea flower, a key material in her practice. In 2025 the artist also participated in the 36th São Paulo Biennial. Her recent institutional presence also includes participation in the group exhibition Trovoada, presented at Galpão das Artes, in Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, from January to February 2026.

Portas Vilaseca

Portas Vilaseca takes part in the fair with a selection of Latin American artists, including the Brazilian artists Ayrson Heráclito and Nádia Taquary. The presentation coincides with a period of intense institutional visibility for both.

Ayrson Heráclito was recently announced as one of the artists selected for the 2026 Venice Biennale, following his participation in the Antioquia and Medellín International Art Biennials in 2025. Heráclito’s work is held in major international public collections, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and Fundación TBA21, among others.

Nádia Taquary, in turn, presented the solo exhibition Ònà Ìrìn: Caminho de Ferro at Sesc Belenzinho, 2025–2026, an offshoot of a show previously held at the National Museum of Afro-Brazilian Culture in Salvador, in addition to participating in international exhibitions at institutions such as the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin and El Museo del Barrio in New York, as well as the 36th São Paulo Biennial.

This body of work highlights the growing international presence of Brazilian artists whose research engages with memory, spirituality, and Afro-diasporic heritage in contemporary contexts.

Perfis Arte Latino-Americana

Galatea

The gallery makes its debut at ARCO Madrid with a solo presentation by Gabriel Branco, bringing together for the first time the artist’s paintings and photographs, two complementary bodies of work that define his practice. During the fair, the gallery reported the sale of 12 works, including paintings and photographs, with three additional works placed on reserve, as well as one work reserved for the fair’s award selection. All sales were made to collections outside Brazil. The presentation also generated strong institutional and commercial interest, including a London-based gallery expressing interest in collaborating with the artist.

The presentation coincides with a period of growing international visibility for the artist. In 2025, Branco participated in Art Basel Miami Beach with Galatea, marking one of his first major international appearances. That same year, he also took part in the group exhibition Contra Mapa – Sur tout ce qui s’embrasse at the Festival d’Arles, Arles, France. This was followed by the solo exhibition A luz sem nome at Galatea Salvador. The ARCO Madrid presentation represents his first international solo project, consolidating the artist’s emergence on the global circuit.

A Gentil Carioca

The A Gentil Carioca returns to ARCO with FUNFUN, a solo presentation of new works by Kelton Campos Fausto. The project draws on the symbolism of Òbàtálá, the Òrìṣà Funfun, exploring ideas of creation, spiritual formation and destiny through works that engage with Afro-diasporic cosmologies and material processes.

The presentation coincides with a period of growing visibility for the artist. In 2024–2025, Campos Fausto presented the solo exhibition Ègbé ọ̀run Ẹgbẹ́ àiyé at A Gentil Carioca in Rio de Janeiro, marking an important step in the development of their research into spiritual space and Yoruba cosmology. The artist has also recently participated at Dos Brasis: arte e pensamento negro in Sesc Quitandinha, 2024, reinforcing their presence within contemporary discussions on Afro-Brazilian identity and diaspora.

Quadra

The solo presentation by Ana Cláudia Almeida is conceived around the relationship between freedom and hope, approached as dynamic forces that traverse body, space, and collective experience. The curatorial proposal foregrounds the dialogue between the works rather than their individual autonomy.

In 2025, Almeida presented Over Again, her first solo exhibition in New York at Stephen Friedman Gallery, featuring new installations, textile works, and paintings. Earlier works were also shown in the exhibition Ana Cláudia Almeida & Tadáskía at Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel and Quadra, São Paulo, 2024–2025, consolidating the artist’s recent trajectory between Brazil and the United States. She also participated in Alvorada, a group exhibition at Dover Street Market, curated by Sophie de Mello Franco.

Brazilian Art in the Spotlight of International Galleries

Baró

The gallery reported several sales during this edition of the fair. A highlight was the sale of a work by Brazilian artist Bruno Novelli for €30.000 to a Belgian collection. The artist has recently expanded his international visibility, notably with his participation in Exposition Générale at the new Fondation Cartier pour L’art Contemporain building in Paris on view until August 23, 2026.

Additional sales included a piece by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, acquired in the United Kingdom for $150.000, followed by a work by Ayako Rokkaku purchased by a Spanish collection for $100.000, and a work by Venezuelan artist Elias Crespin sold for $90.000 to a Swiss collection. A work by Violeta Quispe was also placed with a French institution.

Richard Saltoun

The presentation by Richard Saltoun Gallery brings together historical works by Maria Martins and contemporary pieces by Daiara Tukano, highlighting different approaches to myth, spirituality, and cosmology across generations. During the fair, the booth also attracted strong collector interest, including a Canadian client interested in the work of Maria Martins and a Portuguese collector based in Madrid showing interest in Daiara Tukano.

Maria Martins, a key figure of Brazilian modernism associated with Surrealism, is represented by the remarkable portfolio produced in 1946, comprising nine etchings published by the Valentine Gallery in New York and printed by the artist herself. The prints reproduce sculptures originally presented in her exhibition at the Valentine Gallery, several of which later became among her most celebrated works, set against the dense black ink background of the printing plate. Martins personally produced the editions using a small press installed in a room next to her studio, highlighting the experimental and hands-on dimension of her practice. An edition of Maria 1946 (1946), presented at ARCO, was previously exhibited in Maria Martins: Tropical Fictions at MASP – Museu de Arte de São Paulo, 2021.

She has recently gained renewed international attention through major institutional exhibitions, including her retrospective Maria Martins: Metamorphoses at the Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, 2023–2024, which revisited her sculptural practice and its dialogue with mythology and transformation. Her works are held in major international collections including MoMA and The Met in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and François Pinault’s  Collection. 

For Daiara Tukano, an Indigenous artist and activist from the Upper Rio Negro region, the gallery presents a series of paintings and drawings exploring Indigenous cosmogonies. Her recent solo exhibition Pamuri Pati: World of Transformation was presented at the Museu Nacional da República, Brasília, 2023 and later traveled to the Museu de Arte do Rio, 2024. She has also participated in major institutional exhibitions, including Dear Earth at the Hayward Gallery, London, 2023 and Histórias Brasileiras at MASP, São Paulo, 2022, reflecting the growing international recognition of Indigenous perspectives in contemporary art.

Zielinsky

Zielinsky Gallery presents at ARCO a selection that includes several Brazilian artists, among them Carolina Cordeiro, Cisco Merel, Pedro Torres, Valdirlei Dias Nunes and Vera Chaves Barcellos, whose work Epidermic Scapes, 1977 entered the collection of the Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, in 2023. Their practices explore questions related to the body, geometry, memory, and systems of representation, bringing together different generations and perspectives within contemporary Brazilian art.

Among recent activities, Carolina Cordeiro participated in the group exhibition Adiar a ordem, presented at Galatea, São Paulo (2025), and also took part in Perquirere, held at Zielinsky Barcelona between November 2025 and February 2026. Meanwhile, Pedro Torres presented the solo exhibition Una breve quemadura at Zielinsky Barcelona, on view from February 27 to May 16, 2025, further consolidating his presence within the gallery’s international program.

Travesía Cuatro

Travesía Cuatro presents the brazilian artists Eleonore Koch and Ana Prata, bringing together two generations of Brazilian painting whose practices explore interiority, perception, and the poetic potential of everyday imagery. Koch’s work has recently gained renewed institutional attention, notably with the exhibition Eleonore Koch: Em Cena at the Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo (MAC USP) in 2024, which brought together nearly 190 works spanning her career.

Ana Prata, in turn, has presented several recent exhibitions, including the solo show Secret on the radio at Galeria Luisa Strina, São Paulo in 2025. Her paintings, which move fluidly between figuration and abstraction, continue a research into the intimacy of domestic scenes and the material possibilities of painting.

Elba Benítez

The presentation by Elba Benítez Gallery brings together works by Claudia Andujar, Vik Muniz, and Ernesto Neto, three leading Brazilian artists whose practices span photography, sculpture, and immersive installation while engaging with questions of memory, ecology, and collective experience.

Claudia Andujar has recently received major international institutional recognition, notably with the retrospective The Yanomami Struggle at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris in 2023, which highlighted her decades-long collaboration with the Yanomami people and her role in advocating for Indigenous rights through photography.

Vik Muniz continues to maintain a strong global presence. In 2024 he presented the exhibition Vik Muniz: Rebus at the Museum of Art and Design (MAD), New York in 2024, bringing together works that recreate iconic images through unconventional materials and explore perception, memory, and the circulation of images.

Meanwhile, Ernesto Neto has recently presented large-scale immersive installations in major institutions. Among recent projects is the exhibition Ernesto Neto: Nosso Barco Tambor Terra at the Grand Palais.

This year’s edition also revealed a striking shift in the geography of collectors. The usual presence of American buyers was noticeably absent, largely due to the geopolitical tensions shaping international travel and markets. In their place, European collectors emerged as the primary buyers of Brazilian works during the fair, while Brazilian and broader Latin American collectors themselves were surprisingly scarce among the reported acquisitions.

At the same time, a subtle psychological redirection in collecting choices became perceptible. While painting continues to dominate acquisitions — still representing more than half of the sales reported — growing curiosity was visible around less conventional formats: installations, photography, experimental media, and practices rooted in process, performance, and lived experience. Collectors appear increasingly drawn to works that offer a critical lens on contemporary society and the artist’s own lived reality. Interestingly, and somewhat unexpectedly for a fair historically attentive to these narratives, there was a noticeable cooling of interest toward works explicitly framed around Indigenous and Afro-Brazilian identities.

Beyond these observations, ARCO once again demonstrated how art fairs can function as powerful cultural bridges. At Sophie Su Art Advisory, we accompany collectors in the construction and evolution of their collections, whether they seek to acquire or place Brazilian or international works.

If you are considering buying or selling a work of art, you can contact us directly through the WhatsApp button located at the bottom right of this article to discuss opportunities confidentially.

We thank Miriam Badaró gallery owner and Ana Maria Boschi from Latitude Project for their support and collaboration in the preparation of this article.

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Art Fairs

Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |  Dec

February

Frieze Los Angeles

VIP Days: February 26, 2026
Public Opening: February 27– March 01, 2026
Los Anegeles, USA

Frieze Los Angeles focuses on contemporary art and celebrates the city’s dynamic culture and its global contributions to the visual arts. Held at Santa Monica Airport, the fair brings together around 100 galleries, alongside an expanded program of ambitious installations, collaborations with nonprofit organizations.

March

Arco Madrid

VIP Days: March 4–5, 2026
Public Opening: March 6–8, 2026
Madrid, Spain

ARCOmadrid has established itself as one of the leading barometers of the international contemporary art market, bringing together more than 206 galleries from 36 countries and approximately 1,300 artists in a highly curated environment. With 66% international galleries, the fair reinforces its global reach, while its strong Latin American presence, representing over 30% of international participation, positions ARCO as the main European hub for art from the region.

The thematic section, curated by José Luis Blondet and Magalí Arriola, projects the futures of contemporary art, highlighting new languages, emerging practices, and narratives shaping the next market cycle.

TEFAF Maastricht

VIP Days: March 12–13, 2026
Public Opening: March 14–19, 2026
Maastricht, Netherlands

TEFAF Maastricht is widely regarded as the world’s premier fair for fine art, antiques, and design, spanning over 7,000 years of art history within a single, museum-quality environment. Bringing together approximately 260–280 leading dealers from around 20 countries, the fair presents the highest level of connoisseurship across categories including Old Master paintings, classical antiquities, high jewelry, modern and contemporary art, photography, and 20th-century design.

Art Basel Hong Kong

VIP Days: March 25–26, 2026
Public Opening: March 27–29, 2026
Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre

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Art Basel Hong Kong affirms itself as one of the world’s leading hubs for the contemporary art market, connecting collectors, blue-chip galleries, institutions, and professionals from across the globe. With a strong international gallery presence and a strategic focus on the Asia-Pacific axis, the fair serves as a key barometer for global trends, emerging artists, and structural market movements.

April

SP–Arte

VIP Days: April 8, 2026
Public Opening: April 8–12, 2026
São Paulo, Brazil

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São Paulo’s leading contemporary art fair reaffirms the city as one of the most dynamic hubs in the Latin American art market. Bringing together leading galleries, collectors, institutions, and professionals, SP–Arte functions as an essential thermometer for the Brazilian and regional markets, connecting local production to international circuits and strengthening dialogue between Brazil, Latin America, and the global art ecosystem.

Art Dubai

VIP Days: April 15–16, 2026
Public Opening: April 18–20, 2026
Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai

Celebrating its 20th edition, Art Dubai reaffirms its position as the leading platform for the Middle East and the MENASA region (Middle East, North Africa & South Asia), bringing together more than 100 galleries from over 35 countries. The fair stands out for its strong curatorial identity, with sections such as Zamaniyyat, curated by Dr. Sarah A. Rifky, dedicated to global modernisms; Bawwaba, curated by Amal Khalaf, focused on emerging and mid-career practices from the Global South; Bawwaba Extended, featuring interdisciplinary and site-specific projects; and Art Dubai Digital, curated by Ulrich Schrauth and Nadine Khalil, positioning the fair as an international reference for digital art and immersive practices.

May

Frieze New York

VIP Days: May 13, 2026
Public Opening: May 13–17, 2026
New York, USA

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Frieze New York reaffirms its position as a major event in the international contemporary art circuit, bringing together around 70 leading galleries at The Shed. Highly curated and institutionally relevant, the fair serves as a strategic barometer for global trends, emerging practices, and artist repositioning across primary and secondary markets. The Focus section, dedicated to solo presentations by young galleries, will once again be curated by Lumi Tan, reinforcing Frieze’s role as a platform for new voices and contemporary narratives.

TEFAF New York