MAM Rio opens on April 18 a sweeping retrospective of Rubem Valentim, featuring 180 works that blend sacred geometry with Afro-Brazilian symbolism.
One of the most significant art exhibitions in Brazil this year opens its doors on April 18 at MAM Rio — the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro. Rubem Valentim: a ordem do sensível (The Order of the Sensible) brings together approximately 180 works, including paintings, reliefs, and sculptures, spread across the museum’s Grand Hall in a comprehensive survey of one of 20th-century Brazilian art’s most essential voices.
A Singular Artistic Language
Rubem Valentim (Salvador, 1922 – São Paulo, 1991) spent more than four decades building a visual vocabulary unlike any other in Brazilian modernism. He fused rigorous geometric abstraction with symbolic systems rooted in Afro-Brazilian and indigenous cultures, creating compositions where form and meaning are inseparable. The result is an art practice that is deeply local in its origins yet universal in its aesthetic reach.
Among the exhibition’s highlights is the Templo de Oxalá (Temple of Oxalá), an installation that distills the full power of Valentim’s plastic and symbolic thinking. Works on display come from public and private collections across Brazil, making this a rare opportunity to see the breadth of his output in one place.
Curatorship and Institutional Collaboration
The exhibition is curated by Raquel Barreto and Phelipe Rezende and was developed in close collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art of Bahia. This institutional partnership brings together research and collections from both museums — connecting Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, the two cities most central to Valentim’s life and legacy.
The show is sponsored by Petrobras through Brazil’s Federal Cultural Incentive Law, broadening public access to this landmark retrospective.
Event Info
- Exhibition: Rubem Valentim: a ordem do sensível (The Order of the Sensible)
- Venue: MAM Rio — Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro, Grand Hall
- Opening: April 18, 2026
- Curators: Raquel Barreto and Phelipe Rezende
- Co-produced with the Museum of Modern Art of Bahia
- Sponsored by Petrobras through Brazil’s Federal Cultural Incentive Law
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