History

In these 60 years, Brazilian Art Critics Association-abca has been present in several occasions and numerous events in the country and abroad, as an institution and/or through its members, reflecting on Brazilian art and culture and its insertion in the international sphere. This second volume encompasses the period from 2003 to 2009 and brings, beyond some new aspects of abca’s story, the updated members’ directory with their summarized resumés. It is important to remember that, since 1949, over three hundred critics, historians, researchers and specialists have passed by our association, some of which deceased and some resigned, but also new, young and renowned professionals have been added.

We would like to thank all of those who have promptly responded to our request for this additional publication, as well as everyone’s efforts for our other publications, especially abcaJournal and the “Crítica de Arte” Collection, which stands out as a record of the studies carried out by our colleagues.

We would like to thank the institutions that have supported not only this publication, but also other events in 2009 that join us in the celebration of such an important date, especially IO-Imprensa Oficial do Estado and SESC.

It is also our duty to thank Mariza Bertoli for her efforts to contact all members, and her commitment to collecting, revising and standardizing the data sent, as well as the help from research assistants Vilma S. Andrade and José de Ribamar Nascimento, and the professional and shared partnership of our designer, Martha Simões.

The date calls for celebration and abca is scheduling several activities, being the first ones the publication of this volume and its already traditional abca Awards, besides the edition of 4 more numbers of abca Journal, the organization of a seminar and two exhibitions related to the celebration. It is important to highlight that, in 2007, the current administration also developed the association’s current brand, a more contemporary one, which identifies it and makes it recognized.

A more recent story

2009, the year of ABCA’s 60^th anniversary. 60 years ago abca was founded. Connected to (aica), the International Art Critics Association, founded in 1948, in Paris, under UNESCO, by its turn created in 1945 under the impact of the end of World War II. These organizations were created under the expectation of building new times, a culture that was establishing itself as an ideal of new times, searching to eliminate the differences between peoples towards a more humanitarian world order.

UNESCO encourages the creation of the international critics association and of national associations with the objective of promoting the approximation of several cultures and the interchange between different aesthetics. Brazil is represented by Brazilian critics who, answering to the call, participate in this first meeting. After this gathering in Paris, abca, the oldest Brazilian association of visual arts professionals, is created in 1949 in Rio de Janeiro, being represented at the International Association’s first meeting. The foundation ceremony had the participation of critics Sérgio Milliet, its first president, Mário Barata, Antonio Bento and Mário Pedrosa, among other important active intellectuals in art criticism. According to José Roberto Teixeira Leite’s testimony, Sérgio Milliet lived in São Paulo. abcacame to the city right after its foundation, staying here until the late 1960’s, when it returned to Rio de Janeiro. In 1995 it was transferred back to São Paulo, thanks to the efforts of José Roberto, remaining here until today, where it has its forum and develops new objectives and projects.

As a target, abcasearches to promote the approximation and interchange between professionals acting in the area of art criticism and to encourage the research and reflection in the field of subjects significant for art, contributing to art production and theory, not only in visual arts, but also in education and culture. The association is therefore interested in cooperating with institutions and entities with essentially cultural objectives. Another goal is to ensure the practice of criticism under ethical and methodological fundamentals, defending art critics’ professional rights and providing permanent interaction among its members, favoring the realization of encounters to discuss and present new thoughts and theories, and disclosing the results of studies carried out.

In its statutes, ABCA presents itself as “a civil, cultural, autonomous and non profitable society” whose purpose is to “gather visual arts critics, widely including art criticism professionals, researchers, historians, theorists, essayists, journalists, culture journalists, as well as art history and aesthetics professors, whether Brazilians or domiciled in Brazil”.

Among the actions it has been developing to reach its objectives are the regional, national and international seminars, the edition of abca Journal, a criticism magazine that brings topics of interest for the community and articles by its affiliates and researchers or personalities of the area; the organization of its documental archive; the publication of the “Crítica de Arte” Collection and studies of its Art Criticism Laboratory, together with the School of Communication and Arts of the University of São Paulo. The Archive and Laboratory handle the documentation of art critics’ production, develop the study of the entity’s story, debate the story and practice of art criticism and contemporary art. abcahas been cooperating with the public power and private organizations by taking part in cultural actions of social and cultural interest that aim at arising and intensifying the interest of the public in visual arts.

In the period between 2003 (year of the edition of the first volume on aspects of its story) and 2009, which records and complements its activities, some realizations are worth the mention.