João Carlos Galvão
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1941
He was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1941. He studied at the National School of Fine Arts. Later he moved to Paris, where he came into contact with artists related to Op Art, such as Victor Vasarely or Yvaral. His work, mainly in wood, brings into play the concept of two-dimensionality of traditional paintings. The specialised critic has pointed out him as the creator of the Transfiguration. He has also been strongly linked to the Madí Movement.
Understanding Galvão's work involves understanding Brazilian geometry, which is often in dialogue with architecture. This style had various currents and Galvão turned towards relief architecture, being one of the great figures who worked with this geometry.
In his work he introduces colour, but sometimes leaves the wood exposed with its small imperfections "why avoid them", the artist asks himself.
His reliefs are generally the result of the juxtaposition of small pieces; order and chaos with a certain inclination towards the baroque, especially in his later pieces, where there is no longer a harmonious and uniform repetition.
He is a true creator, very Brazilian, who introduces tropical colours, very bright, which refer to his architecture, plants, fruits and other native motifs.
Individual Exhibitions
2011 Espace Meyer Zafra, Paris
2009 Galería Marita Segovia, Madrid
2009 Márcia Barrozo do Amaral Art Gallery, Rio de Janeiro
2008 Art To Design Gallery, Bologna
2008 Dan Galeria, Sao Paulo
2007 Galerie Brasilia, Paris
2007 Murilo Castro Gallery, Belo Horizonte
2005 Márcia Barrozo do Amaral Art Gallery, Rio de Janeiro
2004 Galerie Syrus, Paris
2004 MuBE - Brazilian Sculpture Museum, São Paulo
2003 Márcia Barrozo do Amaral Art Gallery, Rio de Janeiro
2001 Márcia Barrozo do Amaral Art Gallery, Rio de Janeiro
1999 GB Arte, Rio de Janeiro
1996 GB Arte, Rio de Janeiro
1988 Art Gallery of Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói
1985 Brazilian Center Gallery, London
1985 Art Gallery Cândido Mendes Cultural Center, Rio de Janeiro
1982 Aktuell, Rio de Janeiro1980 Praxis Gallery, Buenos Aires
1982 Paulo Klabin Gallery, Rio de Janeiro
1976 Luiz Buarque de Holanda and Paulo Bittencourt Gallery, Rio de Janeiro
1974 Global Arte Gallery, São Paulo
1974 Bonino Gallery, Rio de Janeiro
1972 Bonino Gallery, Rio de Janeiro
Collective Exhibitions
2011 Art Paris - Grand Palais, Espace Meyer Zafra, Paris, France
2011 Art Madrid - Marita Segovia Art Gallery, Madrid, Spain
2011 SPArte - Márcia Barrozo do Amaral Art Gallery, São Paulo, Brazil
2011 MADi Internacional - Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay - Palais de Glace, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2011 Exposition Collective - Marita Segovia Art Gallery, Madrid, Spain
2011 Grande Exposition International a Cholet - Musée dArt et Histoire, Cholet, France
2011 Noir et Blanc MADi - KamalidArte, Brescia, Italy
2011 From Carmelo Arden Quin to MADi Contemporain - Center International dArt Contemporain de Carros, Nice, France
2010 Blanco y Negro - Marita Segovia Art Gallery, Madrid, Spain
2010 SPArte - Márcia Barrozo do Amaral Art Gallery, São Paulo, Brazil
2010 PDGB - Exposition Art Construit International, Paris, France
2010 17th Pan American Biennial of Architecture - A.C.I., Quito, Ecuador
2010 Art Madrid - Marita Segovia Art Gallery, Madrid, Spain
2010 MASTERARTE, São Paulo, Brazil
2010 Dialogue of Forms - Palácio Bandeirantes, São Paulo, Brazil
2009 Bichrome MADI - Montigny - Bretonneux, France
2009 Salon Comparaison - 2009, Paris, France
2009 Réalités Nouvelles, Paris, France
2009 In-Forma Geometrica - Civico di Castelnuovo Museum, Napoli, Italy
2009 De Geometrie van MADI, Gorinchem, Netherlands
2009 Inter MADI expositie rond Carmelo Arden Quin - Galerie de Vierde Dimense, Netherlands
2009 SPArte - Márcia Barrozo do Amaral Art Gallery and DAN Gallery, São Paulo
2009 Építészet és Müvészet - Kéves Studio Galeria, Budapest, Hungary
2009 Groupe Constructivisme, Rehau, Germany
2009 Galerie Emilia Suciu 20 Jahre - 20 Ans - 20 Years, Karlsruhe, Germany
2008 Réalités Nouvelles, Paris, France
2008 Salon Comparaisons - GrandPalais, Paris, France
2008 Mouvemment MadiInternational - Maison de lAmérique Latine, Paris, France
2008 Color and Form - Simões de Assis Art Gallery, Curitiba - Paraná
2008 Internazionale MADI aVerona - Spazio Arte Pisanello, Verona, Italy
2008 Art in Motion. Espaco Eliana Benchimol, de Rio
2008 Le Teorie Del MADI. Scoglio di Quarto, Milan, Italy
2008 MADI International. Museo MACLA, La Plata, Argentina
2007 Design Expo - Galerie Brasilia, Paris, France
2007 Salon of Art and Antiquity. Murilo Castro Gallery, Sao Paulo
2007 Broome street gallery (vanguard art), New York, USA
2007 Espace Madi. Galerie des Wantiers-Valenciennes, France
2007 Modern Art in Context. ABN AMRO REAL, São Paulo and Curitiba
2007 Built Art Biennial, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2007 Collection Collective, Murilo Castro Gallery, Belo Horizonte
2007 Art Karlsruhe, Galerie Emilia Suciu, Germany
2007 SP Arte, São Paulo International Modern and Contemporary Art Fair, Márcia Barrozo do Amaral Art Gallery, RJ and Murilo Castro Gallery, BH.
2007 Noir et Blanc, Galerie ORION / MADI, Paris.
2007 Réalités Nouvelles, 61e Salon, Paris.
2007 Inaugural Exhibition, Satoru Sato Museum, Tome, Japan.
2006/07 MADI-MONOCHROM, Hungorian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
2006 Monocrome, Galerie ORION / MADI, Paris.
2006 OP-ART Galerie, Joyce, Paris.
2006 Réalités Nouvelles, 60e Salon, Paris.
2006 ART MADI, Galerie ORION / MADI, Paris.
2006 Galvão and Jaildo Marinho, Galerie ORION / MADI, Paris.
2006 SP Arte, São Paulo International Modern and Contemporary Art Fair, Márcia Barrozo do Amaral Art Gallery, RJ and Pinakotheke Cultural, RJ.
2006 Márcia Barrozo do Amaral, Art Gallery, Casa Cor, Rio de Janeiro
2006 Concrete and Neo-Concrete Art, from Construction to Deconstruction, DAN Galeria, São Paulo.
2006 General Archives, Márcia Barrozo do Amaral, Art Gallery, Hélio Oiticica Art Center, Rio de Janeiro.
2006 SupreMADIsme, Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow Russia.
2006 SupreMADIsme, Hungarian Cultural Institute, Republic of Bratislava, Slovaquia.
2006 MADI Mobile, Art Museum of Budapest, Hungary.2005 MADI Art, MultiArte Gallery, Fortaleza, Ceará.
2005 SP Arte, São Paulo International Modern and Contemporary Art Fair, Art Gallery Márcia Barrozo do Amaral - RJ and DAN Galeria S.P.
2005 Inaugural exhibition, MADI Museum, Sobral, Ceará.
2005 Nouvelles Réalités, 59e Salon, Paris.
2005 Galvão and Jaildo Marinho, Bristol hotel (Syrus Galerie), Paris.
2005 Chroma, Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro.
2004 Christmas with art, Márcia Barrozo do Amaral Art Gallery, Rio de Janeiro.
Réalités Nouvelles, 58e Salon, 2004, Paris
Neuhoff Gallery 2003, New York
2004 International Designer Showhouse
2004 Architecture by Cristiana Mascarenhas, New York
2004 Forma / Support, Sattamini Collection
2004 Museum of Contemporary Art in Niterói
DAN Gallery Collection 2004, São Paulo
2004 Brazilian contemporary art on paper
2004 Center for Brazilian Studies - CEB, Suriname
2001 Art Paris, Louvre Carousel
2001 Galerie Janus Avivson, Paris
2001 Summer Group Show
2001 Galerie Janus Avivson, Paris
2000 collective exhibition
2000 Galerie Claude Dorval, Paris
2000 Blank work
Graphic Gestures Gallery 2000, Belo Horizonte
1999 Art Construit, Art Cinétique d Ameriqué Latine
1999 Galerie Denise René, Paris
1999 Natal, GB Art, Rio de Janeiro
1999 A vision of art in Brazil
1999 Reducto Park Gallery, Lima, Peru
1999 commemorative 3 years
1999 Anita Schwartz Gallery, Rio de Janeiro
1998 Contemporary art, in the last 30 years
1998 Bandeirantes Palace, São Paulo
1998 Sandros Gallery, Harare, Zimbabwe
1997 Art of Brazil in Beirut
1997 Sarsock Beirut Museum, Beirut, Lebanon
1997 Construction and deconstruction
1997 Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.
1996 Brazilian art from the 70s
1996 National Museum of Fine Arts, Rio de Janeiro.
1993 Geometrism
1993 National Museum of Fine Arts, Rio de Janeiro.
1992 16th Carioca Art Exhibition, MAM, Rio de Janeiro
Contemporary Collection 1988
1988 Gallery of Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói
1987 Between two centuries. Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection
1987 Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.
1985 Collection of the Gallery of the Centro Cultural Candido Mendes, Rio de Janeiro.
1984 Day of the visual artist, Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Rio de Janeiro.