Antonio Bandeira

A Pioneer of Brazilian Abstractionism

Antonio Bandeira (Fortaleza, CE, 1922 - Paris, France, 1967) was a painter, draughtsman, and engraver who began his artistic career as a self-taught artist. In 1941, in Fortaleza, along with Mário Baratta (1915-1983) and others, he founded the Centro Cultural de Belas Artes - CCBA, which evolved into the Sociedade Cearense de Artes Plásticas - SCAP in 1943. In 1945, he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where he held his first solo exhibition at the Institute of Brazilian Architects - IAB/RJ the following year.

With a scholarship from the French government, Bandeira lived in Paris from 1946 to 1950, attending the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Opting for a non-academic approach to art, he left these institutions to explore new forms of expression. During 1947 and 1948, he participated in two important events in Paris: the Salon d'Automne and the Salon d'Art Libre. In Saint-Germain-des-Près, he associated with artists such as Camille Bryen (1907-1977) and Bernard Quentin. With Bryen and Wols (1913-1951), he formed the Banbryols Group (1949-1951), a name derived from the initials of the surnames of the three artists.

Returning to Brazil in 1951, Bandeira established himself in the studio of sculptor José Pedrosa (1915-2002), sharing space with painter Milton Dacosta (1915-1988) and participating in the 1st São Paulo International Biennial. In 1952, he created a mural for the IAB/SP in São Paulo. He returned to Paris in 1954 after winning the Fiat Prize at the 2nd São Paulo International Biennial and continued to exhibit both in Brazil and abroad.

Bandeira remained in Europe until 1959, passing through England and Belgium, where he created a panel for the Palais des Beaux-Arts in 1958. Upon returning to Brazil, he had an intense artistic activity and participated in important exhibitions alongside shows in Paris, Munich, Verona, London, and New York. In 1961, he published an album of poems and lithographs of his own, and in the same year was the subject of a short film by João Siqueira. Bandeira returned to Paris in 1965, where he remained until his death in 1967.

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Photo: https://issuu.com/andersoneleoterio/docs/livro_catalogo_antonio_bandeira/4