Agnaldo dos Santos

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Agnaldo Manuel dos Santos was a great Bahian sculptor who had his work considered as a continuity in Brazil of African sculpture. He was born in 1926 on the island of Itaparica and died in Salvador in 1962, at the age of 35. Before becoming an artist Agnaldo worked as a lumberjack and lime maker. The first contact with the artistic world was established when he was hired as an assistant and apprentice in the studio of the artist Mário Cravo Jr. Working with Mario had access to the materials and techniques used by the artist, as well as the sources of inspiration of African art. Agnaldo began in the sculpture encouraged by several people such as Wilson Cunha, Pierre Verger, José Valladares and Lênio Braga.

Agnaldo's work is essentially produced from wood and is of an anthropomorphic nature. His plays are marked by a wide thematic variety: it ranges from Afro-Brazilian religiosity to Catholic themes, although it has Africa as a theme that is always present in each of its plays. On the other hand, Agnaldo's art differs from the African one for several reasons. According to the writer, researcher and art critic Clarival do Prado Valadares (1918-1923), Agnaldo's work "cannot be understood as affiliation to a certain African regional stylistic: Agnaldo was master of expressionist means of absolute originality". Agnaldo had a unique and characteristic style he did not obey the stylism of any African society, he created his own style.

In 1957 he participated in the IV Bienal de São Paulo, the year in which he set up his first individual, at Petit Galerie, Rio de Janeiro. In 1959 and 1961, he participated in the National Salon of Modern Art. His work is part of the collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts (Rio de Janeiro, RJ) and several other Brazilian museums. In 1987, his work was present at the exhibition Brésil Arts Populaires (Paris - France).