- o laço: eu e você, 1965
- nota sobre a morte imprevista, 1965
- tapa olho, 1968
- anywhere is my land, 1968
- the image, 1972
- incomplete biography, 1968
- the illustration of art, 1972
- the illustration of art / art & society / model, 1975
- poeta / pornógrafo, 1973
- the illustration of art (me and others), 1977
- niranjanirakhar, 1977
- derrotas e vitórias (para bento), 2006
- air destroying gorgeous monuments / sun photo as self-portrait, 1990 / 1991
- sem título , 2011
- untitled, 2013
Biography
Antonio Dias (b. 1944, Campina Grande, Brazil - d. 2018, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) began his career in the 1960s, producing works marked by political criticism in the form of paintings, drawings and assemblages typical of Brazilian Pop Art and Neo Figurativism, of which he was one the main representatives. His practice is interwoven by the legacy of the Neo-concrete movement and an early awareness of the revolutionary impetus of Tropicalia. In 1966, during his self-exile in Paris after subtle criticism from the Brazilian military dictators, the artist came into contact with artists of the Italian avant-garde movement Arte Povera, namely Luciano Fabro and Giulio Paolini. In the European context, he increasingly turns to abstraction, transforming his style.
In Italy, he adopted a conceptual approach to painting, filmmaking, audio-recordings and artist books to question the meaning of art. His playful and subversive approach towards eroticism, sex, and political oppression constructed a unique artistic production, filled with formal elegance transversed by political issues and a poignant critique towards the system of art. In the late 1970's, Dias went to Nepal to learn how to produce a special type of artisanal paper that he would use until the next decade. In the 1980s, his production once again focused on painting, experimenting with metallic and mineral pigments, such as gold, copper, iron oxide and graphite, mixing these with a variety of binding agents. Most works produced during this time have a metallic sheen and feature a vast array of symbols –bones, cross, rectangle, phallus–, an underlying correlation with the artist’s earlier production.
His works have been exhibited in several institutions all over the world. Recent solo exhibitions include: Antonio Dias: Derrotas e vitórias, at Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM-SP) (2021), in São Paulo, Brazil; Antonio Dias: Ta Tze Bao, at Nara Roesler (2019), in New York, USA; Antonio Dias: o ilusionista, at Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio) (2018), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Una collezione, at Fondazione Marconi (2017), in Milan, Italy; Antonio Dias – Potência da pintura, at Fundação Iberê Camargo (FIC) (2014), in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Main group shows are: This Must Be the Place: Latin American Artists in New York, 1965–1975, at The Americas Society (2021), in New York, USA; Pop América, 1965–1975, at Mary & Leigh Block Museum at Northwestern University (2019), in Evanston, at Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University (2019), in Durham, and at McNay Art Museum (2018), in San Antonio, USA; Invenção de origem, at Estação Pinacoteca (2018), in São Paulo, SP, Brazil; 34th and 33th Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil (2018 and 2021); Mario Pedrosa – On the Affective Nature of Form, at Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS) (2017), in Madrid, Spain. Dias' works are in collections such as: Daros Latinamerica Collection, Zurich, Switzerland; Instituto Itaú Cultural, São Paulo, Brazil; Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany; Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM-SP), São Paulo, Brazil; Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA.
Exhibitions
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co(r)respondences: constructive affinities/painting as surface
luis pérez-oramas 13.6 - 16.8.2024Nara Roesler New York is pleased to present Co(r)respondences: Constructive Affinities/Painting as Surface, the second edition of the Co(r)respondences project . Curated by Luis Pérez-Oramas,...Read more -
co/respondences: brazil and abroad
luis pérez-oramas 22.6 - 25.8.2023Galeria Nara Roesler New York is pleased to present Co/respondences: Brazil and Abroad , a group show curated by Luis Pérez-Oramas where works by major...Read more -
cross-cuts
luis pérez-oramas 12.1 - 13.2.2021Nara Roesler is pleased to present Cross-cuts, an exhibition curated by Luis Pérez-Oramas unfolding in five different installations to inaugurate the gallery’s new location in...Read more -
archaeologies of the selfie
luis pérez-oramas 27.2 - 30.5.2020Galeria Nara Roesler | New York is delighted to inaugurate its 2020 exhibitions program with a group show titled Archaeologies of the Selfie, curated by...Read more -
ta tze bao
antonio dias 22.1 - 16.2.2019Galeria Nara Roesler | New York is pleased to present for the first time in the United States, Antonio Dias’ seminal work, Ta Tze Bao...Read more
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tazibao e outras obras
antonio dias 1.9 - 3.11.2018The exhibition Tazibao e outras obras (Tazibao and other works), by Antonio Dias, has become a tribute to the artist who has sadly passed away...Read more -
roesler hotel #27 | purity is a myth/a pureza é um mito
michael asbury 10.6 - 29.7.2017Purity is a Myth: the monochrome in contemporary art Galeria Nara Roesler | São Paulo is pleased to present Purity is a Myth: the monochrome...Read more -
cromofilia vs cromofobia: continuação
Abraham Palatnik, Angelo Venosa, Antonio Dias, Artur Lescher, Bruno Dunley, Carlito Carvalhosa, Daniel Buren, Eduardo Coimbra, Hélio Oiticica, José Patrício, Karin Lambrecht, Marcelo Silveira, Marco Maggi, Melanie Smith, Milton Machado, Rodolpho Parigi, Sergio Sister, Tomie Ohtake, Vik Muniz e Virgínia de Medeiros 26.1 - 18.3.2017Continuing her exploration of color and this hypothetical battle between the color chart and the color circle, Galeria Nara Roesler’s artistic director Alexandra Garcia Waldman,...Read more -
chromophilia vs chromophobia: an exploration of color
abraham palatnik, antonio dias, bruno dunley, cao guimarães, carlito carvalhosa, daniel buren, daniel senise, haegue yang, hélio oiticica, julio le parc, lucia koch, marcelo silveira, marco maggi, milton machado, not vital, rodolpho parigi, sérgio sister, tomie ohtake and vik muniz. 19.11.2016 - 21.1.2017Galeria Nara Roesler | São Paulo is pleased to present Chromophilia vs. Chromophobia: an exploration of color. The group exhibition features eighteen pieces by Abraham...Read more -
papéis do nepal 1977-1987
antonio dias 2.4 - 4.6.2016Galeria Nara Roesler is pleased to present Antonio Dias’ third exhibition at its São Paulo gallery, featuring a historic presentation of the Nepal papers produced...Read more
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galeria nara roesler nova york - exposição inaugural
tomie ohtake, antonio dias, alexandre arrechea, abraham palatnik, hélio oiticica, marco maggi, isaac julien, karin lambrecht, 26.2 - 19.3.2016Galeria Nara Roesler Announces the opening of a New York Viewing Space New York, NY [February 29, 2016] Galeria Nara Roesler is pleased to announce...Read more -
o corpo e a obra de arte
marcos chaves, karin lambrecht, brígida baltar, alice miceli, paulo bruscky, raul mourão, bruno dunley, melanie smith, vik muniz, rodolpho parigi, antonio dias, berna reale, virginia de medeiros, rené francisco, xavier veilhan, carlito carvalhosa 20.2 - 26.3.2016Appropriations and interpretations of human and natural forms provide unifying thread in group show The Body and the Work of Art, set to open on...Read more -
papéis do nepal 1977-1986
antonio dias 13.8 - 26.9.2015Beginning on August 13, a unique portion of Antonio Dias’ multifaceted production will be revisited: his papers from Nepal, to be shown in Brazil for...Read more -
antonio dias
antonio dias 1.4 - 3.5.2014Galeria Nara Roesler will host from April 1st to May 6th a show featuring the recent production of Brazilian art icon, Antonio Dias.Read more
News
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the search for an open enigma
antonio dias 1.10.2024Currently on view at Sharjah Art Foundation in the United Arab Emirates, The Search for an Open Enigma is the first solo exhibition of Antonio...Read more -
arte negativa para um país negativo: antonio dias entre o brasil e a europa
antonio dias 21.8.2023The launch of the book 'Arte negativa para um país negativo: Antonio Dias entre o Brasil e a Europa ' will take place at...Read more -
arte sonora
antônio dias and brígida baltar 15.8.2022The UFMG Cultural Center invites you to the opening of the Arte Sonora exhibition, by artists Amir Brito Cadôr and Ulisses Carvalho, next Friday, August...Read more -
condenado ao moderno?
amelia toledo, antonio dias, laura vinci e paulo bruscky 1.6.2022Amelia Toledo, Antonio Dias, Laura Vinci, and Paulo Bruscky are part of the exhibition “Condenado ao Moderno?”, Carlos Alexandre's curatorial view on the Dulce and...Read more -
webinário antonio dias / arquivo / o lugar do trabalho / mesa 2
antonio dias 24.11.2021On the occasion of the exhibition Antonio Dias / Arquivo / O Lugar do Trabalho, on display at the Contemporary Art Institute (IAC) in São...Read more
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this must be the place: latin american artists in new york, 1965–1975
antonio dias 20.9.2021'This Must Be the Place: Latin American Artists in New York, 1965–1975', group exhibition at the Americas Society, curated by Aimé Iglesias Lukin, director and...Read more -
34ª bienal de são paulo – faz escuro mas eu canto
antonio dias, león ferrari 3.9.2021Antonio Dias (1944–2018) and León Ferrari (1920–2013) are on display at 34th Bienal de São Paulo, Faz escuro mas eu canto, curated by Jacopo Crivelli...Read more -
the counter-public sphere in the condor years
antonio dias 23.11.2020Operation Condor was a US-backed campaign practiced during the Cold War - under supervision and with interference of the CIA - that sought to establish...Read more -
vento
antonio dias, león ferrari 23.11.2020Due to the postponing of the 34th Bienal de São Paulo, along with its related events, the curators in charge have organised the exhibition Vento...Read more -
antonio dias: derrotas e vitórias
antonio dias 2.3.2020Installations, paintings, films and works in other media by Antonio Dias will be on view from March 21 at the unprecedented exhibition Antonio Dias: Defeats...Read more
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dhaka art summit 2020
antonio dias 11.2.2020Antonio Dias is part of Dhaka Art Summit 2020: Seismic Movements , which will take place from February 7 to 15, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, alongside...Read more -
pop américa, 1965–1975
antonio dias 13.9.2019Após sua estréia no McNay em 2018, Pop América, 1965–1975 viaja para o Nasher Museum of Art, em Durham, Carolina do Norte, antes de sua...Read more -
o rio dos navegantes
antonio dias, laura vinci, virginia de medeiros 9.5.2019Antonio Dias, Laura Vinci e Virginia de Medeiros participam da exposição “O Rio dos Navegantes”, que abre dia 25 de maio no Museu de Arte...Read more -
disco é cultura: o disco de vinil na arte contemporânea brasileira
antonio dias, brígida baltar, cao guimarães, ogrivo, paulo bruscky 17.4.2019A exposição coletiva Disco é Cultura: o disco de vinil na arte contemporânea brasileira, com curadoria de Chico Dub, analisa a influência do disco de...Read more -
alegria – a natureza-morta nas coleções mam rio
brígida baltar, karin lambrecht 11.4.2019Antonio Dias, Brígida Baltar, Karin Lambrecht, Marcos Chaves e Raul Mourão participam da coletiva Alegria – A Natureza-Morta nas Coleções MAM Rio. Com curadoria de...Read more
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ateliê de gravura: da tradição à experimentação
angelo venosa, antonio dias, carlito carvalhosa, cristina canale, daniel senise, fábio miguez, josé patrício, karin lambrecht, león ferrari, lucia koch, marcos chaves, paulo bruscky, tomie ohtake 24.1.2019Thirteen artists represented by Galeria Nara Roesler take part in the collective exhibition Ateliê de Gravura: da tradição à experimentação, curated by Eduardo Haesbaert at...Read more -
invenção de origem
antonio dias 6.11.2018Invenção de origem has as a starting point the film The Origin of the Night: Amazon Cosmos (1973-77), by German artist Lothar Baumgarten, never screened...Read more -
the illusionist
antonio dias 17.9.2018'O ilusionista' is a tribute to Antonio Dias (1944-2018), one of the most important contemporary Brazilian artists, recently deceased in Rio de Janeiro. The necessity...Read more -
arte democracia utopia - quem não luta tá morto
antonio dias, cao guimarães, paulo bruscky, virginia de medeiros 11.9.2018Sem ter pretensão de apresentar um panorama conclusivo, a mostra 'Quem não luta tá morto - arte democracia utopia' traz exemplos do pensamento utópico que...Read more -
ai - 5 50 years old – it’s not over yet
antonio dias, paulo bruscky, sérgio sister 27.8.2018On December 13, 2018, Institutional Act Number Five (AI-5) will complete 50 years. Today, while Brazilian society mends the fragility of its fundamental institutions, the...Read more
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antonio dias: 1980 | 1989
antonio dias 10.8.2018The individual exhibition presents a unique set of works carried out by Antonio Dias in the mid-1980s based on tests and plastic experiments involving discarding...Read more -
pop américa, 1965–1975
antonio dias 6.8.2018In collaboration with the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, the McNay presents Pop América, 1965–1975—the first exhibition with a hemispheric vision of Pop...Read more -
memorias del subdesarrollo: el giro descolonial en el arte de américa latina, 1960–1985
antonio dias 15.5.2018A exposição examina uma mudança de paradigma na produção da cultura e das artes visuais na América Latina, entre o início dos anos 50 e...Read more -
entre construção e apropriação
antonio dias 23.4.2018A presente exposição, com curadoria de João Bandeira, apresenta a produção de Antonio Dias, Geraldo de Barros e Rubens Gerchman, nos turbulentos anos 1960, em...Read more -
dialogue
antonio dias 10.1.2018'DIALOGUE' é uma exposição coletiva que reúne obras de Antonio Dias e Mira Schendel, dois artistas aclamados pela crítica que atuaram internacionalmente desde a década...Read more
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potência e adversidade - arte da américa latina nas coleções em portugal
antonio dias, hélio oiticica 23.10.2017Com curadoria de Marta Mestre, a exposição apresenta uma seleção de cerca de 40 artistas e mais de 80 obras pertencentes a coleções públicas e...Read more -
readymade in brasil
antonio dias, cao guimarães, carlito carvalhosa, helio oiticica, marcos chaves, paulo bruscky, raul mourão 28.9.2017Entre os anos de 1960, a partir dos (pop)concretos e neoconcretos, o readymade é introduzido no Brasil e, desde então, está presente na produção de...Read more -
disco é cultura: o disco de vinil na arte contemporânea brasileira
cao guimarães, brígida baltar, antonio dias, o grivo 14.8.2017A exposição coletiva Disco é Cultura: o disco de vinil na arte contemporânea brasileira, com curadoria de Chico Dub (do Festival Novas Frequências), analisa a...Read more -
una collezione
antonio dias 22.2.2017http://www.fondazionemarconi.org/mostre.php?id=178Read more -
vanguarda brasileira dos anos 1960 - coleção roger wright
hélio oiticica, antonio dias 20.12.2016http://www.pinacoteca.org.br/pinacoteca-pt/default.aspx?c=exposicoes&idexp=1352&mn=537&friendly=Exposicao-Arte-no-Brasil-Uma-historia-na-Pinacoteca-de-Sao-Paulo-%96-Galeria-Roger-Wright-anos-60Read more
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toda percepción es una interpretación: you are part of it
antonio dias, hélio oiticica, paulo bruscky 31.10.2016https://cifo.org/index.php/joomla-content/future-exhibits/item/712-toda-percepcion-es-una-interpretacion-you-are-part-of-itRead more -
o útero do mundo
antonio dias, daniel senise, vik muniz 13.9.2016http://mam.org.br/exposicao/o-utero-do-mundo/Read more -
os muitos e o um: arte contemporânea brasileira
antonio dias, bruno dunley, cao guimarães, daniel senise, hélio oiticica, marcos chaves, paulo bruscky e vik muniz 26.8.2016http://www.institutotomieohtake.org.br/exposicoes/interna/os-muitos-e-o-um-arte-contemporacnea-brasileira-na-coleasapo-andrea-e-josac-olympio-pereiraRead more -
auroras - pequenas pinturas
antonio dias, carlito carvalhosa, fabio miguez, organização de bruno dunley 18.8.2016 -
a cor do brasil
abraham palatnik, antonio dias, cristina canale, daniel senise, hélio oiticica, raul mourão, tomie ohtake, vik muniz, 11.8.2016http://www.museudeartedorio.org.br/pt-br/evento/abertura-da-exposicao-a-cor-do-brasilRead more
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lupa: ensaios audiovisuais
antonio dias berna reale, brígida baltar 27.6.2016http://www.mao.org.brRead more -
ephemera diálogo entre-vistas
antonio dias 20.6.2016http://www.culturaniteroi.com.br/blog/?id=2149&equ=macniteroiRead more -
a dialogue about antonio dias
antonio dias 24.2.2016https://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/events/Read more -
international pop
antonio dias, hélio oiticica 11.1.2016http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/825.htmlRead more -
resistance performed
antonio dias, paulo bruscky 15.12.2014www.migrosmuseum.chRead more
Press
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paulo sergio duarte in conversation
Fawz Kabra, Ocula 6.10.2018 -
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remembering the fragile unity of brazilian artist antonio dias (1944–2018)
Tiago Mesquita, Frieze 17.8.2018 -
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antonio dias, brazilian artist who poked the ruling junta, is dead at 74
Jason Farago, The New York Times 9.8.2018 -
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morre antonio dias, um mestre da arte visceral, erótica e política
Sérgio Bruno Martins, Folha de São Paulo 2.8.2018
Video
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co/respondences: brazil and abroad | nara roesler new york
19.7.2023Nara Roesler New York is pleased to present Co/respondences: Brazil and Abroad , a group show curated by Luis Pérez-Oramas where works by major Brazilian...Read more -
cross-cuts lives, chapter 1
antonio dias 14.1.2021Live guided tour with curator Luis Pérez-Oramas of Antonio Dias' solo presentation at Nara Roesler | New York, part of the Cross-Cuts exhibition.Read more -
antonio dias | art basel ovr:20c
antonio dias 21.10.2020Galeria Nara Roesler is proud to announce its participation in the latest iteration of Art Basel’s Online Viewing Rooms, OVR:20c, which focuses exclusively on artworks...Read more -
archaeologies of the selfie
curated by luis pérez-oramas 25.3.2020Archaeologies of the Selfie , curated by Luis Pérez-Oramas at Galeria Nara Roesler | New York, presents works that reflect on an important subject...Read more -
papéis do nepal 1977-1986
antonio dias 27.8.2015
Critical Essays
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tazibao and other works
paulo sérgio duarteEvery great work of art presents itself as a problem, not a solution. The work of Antonio Dias is no exception, and it has to be confronted. Confronted first, that is, as knowledge, neither religious nor scientific, but artistic. And that is precisely what contemporary art so often flees from today. Dias, on the other hand, faces it, wrangles with it, and stands before us, without any condescension. This exhibition, which opens in September 2018 at Galeria Nara Roesler, São Paulo, presents a brief sampling of Antonio Dias’ artistic production since 1968. His early works, from 1964 to 67, are therefore absent, having recently been seen in the exhibition Entre construção e apropriação – Antonio Dias, Geraldo de Barros e Rubens Gerchman nos anos 60 (Between Construction and Appropriation—Antonio Dias, Geraldo de Barros and Rubens Gerchman in the 1960s), curated by João Bandeira at SESC Pinheiros, also in São Paulo. Here, now, from Black Mirror (1968)and Arid (1969) down to recent works from 2013, the poetic potency and...