ALCIDES PEREIRA DOS SANTOS
Born 1932, in Bahia, Brazil; died 2007, São Paulo, Brazil.
Born in Bahia in 1932, Alcides Pereira dos Santos moved to Mato Grosso in 1950, where he settled down.
Before becoming a painter, Alcides tried his hand in various occupations, ranging from shoemaker to
barber to stonemason. When he was 19 years old, Alcides, according to Aline Figueiredo, "achieved the
greatest revelations in his life: religion and painting." He was evangelical and believed that art is a gift from
God. His painting, consequently, is meant to highlight God's 'divine gifts' of the land, particularly nature's
life-giving properties. However, Alcides' symbolic representations are not restricted to scenes of nature.
Without any indication of proselytism or explicit depictions of the supernatural, Alcides also takes on
religious subject matter through everyday scenes of technology and city life.
Much of Alcides' work from the seventies and eighties is comprised of these subtly religious landscapes,
which are known for their serenity. However, Alcides is also known to have painted more explicitly
religious scenes, such as his series of works depicting the creation of the world in seven days and other
biblical narratives. His landscapes are often accentuated by geometric forms and small graphic details such
as human figures - a feature that appears most often in his works from the seventies. These small figures,
however, are never large enough to be considered the central focus. For Alcides, the emphasis is placed
on the entire landscape as a kind of 'macrocreation'.
Alcides has taken part in numerous exhibitions in Brazil; the most recent one, entitled Arte popular, Mostra
do Redescobrimento, 500 anos took place at the São Paulo Biennial Foundation in 2000. His work can also
be seen in the collection of the Popular Art Museum of São Francisco Cultural Center, in João Pessoa.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2013
As poéticas máquinas de Alcides, Galeria Estação, São Paulo
Brazilian Customs Snafu, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York
2012
Histoires de Voir, Foundation Cartier, Paris
2010
Exposição Puras Misturas, Pavilhão de Culturas Rasileiras, São Paulo
Arte brasileira: além do sistema, Galeria Estação, São Paulo
2009
Feira Art Madrid, Pabellón de Cristal, Madrid
2007
Alcides: melos de transporte e outras histórias, Galeria Estação, São Paulo
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro
Museu AfroBrasil, São Paulo
Fundação Nemirovsky, São Paulo
Popular Art Museum, São Francisco Cultural Center, João Pessoa
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Viva a Cultura Viva do Povo Brasileiro, Museu AfroBrasil, São Paulo, 2007.
POP Brasil: A Arte popular e o popular na Arte, Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, São Paulo, 2002.
Mostra do Redescobrimento: Brasil 500 anos, Arte Popular & Takano Editora, Brazil, 2000.