Pedro Tort (Barcelona, Spain 1916 - São Paulo SP 2006)
Pedro Tort was a painter. He studied at the School of Fine Arts of Terrassa, Spain. Back in Barcelona, he created and promoted the avant-garde artists' group Els Blaus de Sarrià, with the collaboration and patronage of the poet J.V. Foix. He is considered one of the main renewers of Spanish art in the 1940s. In 1942, together with the painter Camps, he decorated the dome and presbytery of the Basilica of the Holy Spirit in Terrassa. In 1946, he took part in the exhibition Três Pintores e Um Escultor [Three Painters and a Sculptor], alongside Puig, Pons and the sculptor Boadella. From this group emerged, in 1948, the Dau al Set movement.
In 1952, he moved to Brazil and settled in São Paulo. That same year, he founded the company Prisma, devoted to decoration, design and painting. In 1955, he began working as an art and painting teacher, an activity he pursued for twenty years in various places, such as the Centro Cultural A Hebraica, the Esporte Clube Pinheiros and his own studio. In 1964, under the name Plasticart, he introduced plastic paint for artists to the country, until then unknown in Brazil.
He illustrated several books, among them Contos [Short Stories] by Pirandello, Rua Augusta by Maria de Lourdes Teixeira, A Ladeira da Memória [The Slope of Memory] by José Geraldo Vieira, and Três Fases [Three Phases] by Nilza Mattei. He exhibited frequently in several Brazilian cities and also in Spain. He took part in the 7th and 9th editions of the Bienal Internacional de São Paulo [São Paulo International Biennial]. In 1996, he was included by José Roberto Teixeira Leite in the book Pintores Espanhóis no Brasil [Spanish Painters in Brazil], which gave rise to an exhibition of the same name at the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo that same year.
Critiques
"Since his arrival in Brazil in 1952, Tort already had a painting of strong interpretation, accompanied by a lyricism in a simple language of great depth. In the sixties his work was charged with an austere texture, preserving symbols and abstract markings, still a legacy of a Spain that almost always brought us artists concerned with spaces treated with sobriety. In the following decade, Tort abandoned textural concerns, increased the size of his canvases and created color syntheses on surfaces with little treatment of matter and, by the end of that period, armed with new emotional charges, his compact near-abstraction gradually gave way to incursions with the presence of the figure, a figure reborn not in a descriptive aspect, obviously, but within a formal awareness, as if they were at times fragments of stained glass outlined by a pictorial graphism. Spaces become more intimate, and the bold chromatic chords, often placed in dissonance, bear witness to the search of the artist, master of a solid but visibly flexible constructivism in terms of painting. Tort lived in an environment rich in cultural tradition, in Catalonia, and his days were enriched by dialogue with first-rate masters such as Joaquín Torres García, Antoni Tàpies and Modesto Cuixart, among others. Pedro Tort makes an important contribution to our pictorial and cultural milieu with his art, as well as with his life, marked by a rare and peculiar character and nobility".
Thomaz Ianelli
TORT, Pedro. Pedro Tort. São Paulo: Galeria Alberto Bonfiglioli, 1982.
Testimonials
"My figures have nothing to do with the real. The abstract and the geometric were periods; they ran their course. There was nothing more to seek in that direction, so this return to the figure came, an almost nostalgic, poetic reencounter. But even so it is not the complete figure - it is the union of this geometric element that suggests the figure".
Pedro Tort
TORT, Pedro. Revista Nuevas de Espanha, n. 3, 1986.
Collections
Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado - Faap - São Paulo SP
Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona - MACBA - Barcelona (Spain)
Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo - MAM/SP - São Paulo SP
Paul Klee Museum - Bern (Switzerland)
Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo - Pesp - São Paulo SP
Solo Exhibitions
1942 - Terrassa (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria Amigos das Artes
1943 - Terrassa (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria Amigos das Artes
1946 - Barcelona (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria Els Blaus
1947 - Madrid (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria Estilo
1948 - Barcelona (Spain) - Solo
1950 - Barcelona (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria Jardim
1952 - Terrassa (Spain) - Solo
1957 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at IAB/SP
1962 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Ambiente
1963 - Barcelona (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria Amigos das Artes
1963 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Astréia
1963 - Terrassa (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria Amigos das Artes
1963 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Astréia
1964 - Barcelona (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria Belarte
1965 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Astréia
1968 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Francisco Domingo
1970 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Alberto Bonfiglioli
1971 - Santos SP - Solo, at Galeria de Arte da Associação dos Médicos de Santos
1971 - Santos SP - Solo, at Centro Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos
1972 - Belo Horizonte MG - Solo, at Galeria Newman
1973 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Documenta
1975 - Santos SP - Solo, at Galeria A.M.S.
1981 - Barcelona (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria Mitre
1981 - Terrassa (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria Amigos das Artes
1981 - Terrassa (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria de Arte do Arquivo Tobella
1982 - Barcelona (Spain) - Solo, at Museu Provincial Textil
1982 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Alberto Bonfiglioli
1982 - Terrassa (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria de Arte do Arquivo Tobella
1986 - Barcelona (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria Yolanda Rios
1986 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Documenta
1988 - São Paulo SP - Solo, at Galeria Tema
1992 - Terrassa (Spain) - Retrospectiva 1940-1990 [Retrospective 1940-1990], at Centro Cultural de Terrassa
1994 - Terrassa (Spain) - Solo, at Galeria de Arte do Arquivo Tobella
1996 - Barcelona (Spain) - Solo, at Espaço de Arte de Granollers
Group Exhibitions
1942 - Barcelona (Spain) - Círculo Maillol, at Instituto Francês de Barcelona
1946 - Barcelona (Spain) - Três pintores e um escultor [Three Painters and a Sculptor], at Els Blaus de Sarriá
1947 - Barcelona (Spain) - Group show, at Els Blaus de Sarriá
1948 - Barcelona (Spain) - 1º Salão de Outubro [1st October Salon], at Galerias Laietanas
1949 - Barcelona (Spain) - Salão de Outubro [October Salon]
1950 - Barcelona (Spain) - Salão de Outubro [October Salon]
1951 - Barcelona (Spain) - Salão da Rádio Terrassa [Ràdio Terrassa Salon]
1952 - Barcelona (Spain) - Group show, at Sociedade Amigos da Arte
1952 - São Paulo SP - 2º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [2nd São Paulo Salon of Modern Art], at Galeria Prestes Maia - honorable mention
1953 - São Paulo SP - 18º Salão Paulista de Belas Artes [18th São Paulo Fine Arts Salon], at Galeria Prestes Maia
1954 - São Paulo SP - 19º Salão Paulista de Belas Artes [19th São Paulo Fine Arts Salon], at Galeria Prestes Maia
1954 - São Paulo SP - 3º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [3rd São Paulo Salon of Modern Art], at Galeria Prestes Maia - silver medal
1957 - São Paulo SP - 6º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [6th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art], at Galeria Prestes Maia
1957 - São Paulo SP - Group show, at IAB/SP
1962 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Group show, at MAM/RJ
1962 - São Paulo SP - Group show, at IAB/SP
1962 - São Paulo SP - 11º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [11th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art]
1963 - Barcelona (Spain) - Salão de Maio [May Salon]
1963 - São Paulo SP - 12º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [12th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art], at Galeria Prestes Maia - honorable mention, silver medal, bronze medal and large silver medal
1963 - São Paulo SP - 7ª Bienal Internacional de São Paulo [7th São Paulo International Biennial], at Fundação Bienal
1963 - São Paulo SP - Group show, at Galeria Rego Freitas
1964 - Barcelona (Spain) - Salão de Maio [May Salon]
1965 - São Paulo SP - 14º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [14th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art]
1966 - São Paulo SP - 15º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [15th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art], at Galeria Prestes Maia - large silver medal
1966 - São Paulo SP - Grupo Bisonte [Bisonte Group], at Galeria Francisco Domingo
1967 - Campinas SP - 3º Salão de Arte Contemporânea de Campinas [3rd Campinas Contemporary Art Salon], at Museu de Arte Contemporânea José Pancetti
1967 - São Paulo SP - 16º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [16th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art]
1967 - São Paulo SP - 9ª Bienal Internacional de São Paulo [9th São Paulo International Biennial], at Fundação Bienal
1968 - São Paulo SP - Grupo Bisonte [Bisonte Group], at Galeria Francisco Domingo
1968 - São Paulo SP - 17º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [17th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art]
1969 - São Paulo SP - 1º Panorama de Arte Atual Brasileira [1st Panorama of Current Brazilian Art], at MAM/SP
1969 - São Paulo SP - 1º Salão Paulista de Arte Contemporânea [1st São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon], at Masp - State Culture Council Prize
1970 - Santo André SP - 3º Salão de Arte Contemporânea de Santo André [3rd Santo André Contemporary Art Salon], at Paço Municipal - acquisition prize
1970 - São Caetano do Sul SP - 4º Salão de Arte Contemporânea [4th Contemporary Art Salon] - acquisition prize
1970 - São José dos Campos SP - 2ª Mostra de Artes Plásticas [2nd Visual Arts Exhibition] - São José dos Campos City Hall Prize
1970 - São Paulo SP - 2º Panorama de Arte Atual Brasileira [2nd Panorama of Current Brazilian Art], at MAM/SP
1970 - São Paulo SP - 2º Salão Paulista de Arte Contemporânea [2nd São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon], at Masp
1970 - São Paulo SP - Antonio Henrique Amaral, Odetto Guersoni, Tomie Ohtake, Pedro Tort, Gerda Brentani, at Galeria Alberto Bonfiglioli
1970 - São Paulo SP - Pré-Bienal de São Paulo [São Paulo Pre-Biennial], at Fundação Bienal
1971 - Monaco-Ville (Monaco) - Salon d'Art Contemporain
1971 - Santo André SP - 4º Salão de Arte Contemporânea de Santo André [4th Santo André Contemporary Art Salon], at Paço Municipal
1971 - Santos SP - 1ª Bienal de Santos [1st Santos Biennial] - acquisition prize
1971 - São Paulo SP - 3º Panorama de Arte Atual Brasileira [3rd Panorama of Current Brazilian Art], at MAM/SP
1971 - São Paulo SP - 3º Salão Paulista de Arte Contemporânea [3rd São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon], at Galeria Prestes Maia
1971 - São Paulo SP - Abstratos e Geométricos [Abstract and Geometric], at Paço das Artes
1971 - Jundiaí SP - Encontro Jundiaiense de Arte [Jundiaí Art Meeting] - first prize in painting
1972 - Santo André SP - 5º Salão de Arte Contemporânea de Santo André [5th Santo André Contemporary Art Salon], at Paço Municipal
1972 - São Paulo SP - 4º Salão Paulista de Arte Contemporânea [4th São Paulo Contemporary Art Salon], at Masp
1973 - Santo André SP - 6º Salão de Arte Contemporânea de Santo André [6th Santo André Contemporary Art Salon], at Paço Municipal
1973 - São Paulo SP - 5º Panorama de Arte Atual Brasileira [5th Panorama of Current Brazilian Art], at MAM/SP
1976 - São Paulo SP - 8º Panorama de Arte Atual Brasileira [8th Panorama of Current Brazilian Art], at MAM/SP
1977 - Atami (Japan) - Exposição Geral de Belas Artes Brasil-Japão [Brazil-Japan General Fine Arts Exhibition]
1977 - Kyoto (Japan) - Exposição Geral de Belas Artes Brasil-Japão [Brazil-Japan General Fine Arts Exhibition]
1977 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Exposição Geral de Belas Artes Brasil-Japão [Brazil-Japan General Fine Arts Exhibition], at MNBA
1977 - São Paulo SP - Exposição Geral de Belas Artes Brasil-Japão [Brazil-Japan General Fine Arts Exhibition], at Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Japonesa
1977 - Tokyo (Japan) - Exposição Geral de Belas Artes Brasil-Japão [Brazil-Japan General Fine Arts Exhibition]
1978 - Barcelona (Spain) - Exposição em homenagem a Josep Rigol [Exhibition in Tribute to Josep Rigol], at Museu Provincial de Terrassa
1979 - Barcelona (Spain) - Group show, at Palácio Virreina
1980 - São Paulo SP - Pedro Tort, Ermes de Bernardii, Reali Serradei, at Dan Galeria
1983 - São Paulo SP - Group show, at Galeria de Arte Nobel
1983 - São Paulo SP - Exposição de Artes Plásticas Ibero-Americana [Ibero-American Visual Arts Exhibition]
1984 - Barcelona (Spain) - Algol e Dau al Set - Exposição Os anos 40 em Catalunha [Algol and Dau al Set - Exhibition The 1940s in Catalonia]
1986 - Santo André SP - 14º Salão de Arte Contemporânea de Santo André [14th Santo André Contemporary Art Salon], at Paço Municipal - acquisition prize
1986 - São Paulo SP - 4º Salão de Arte Contemporânea [4th Contemporary Art Salon], at Pavilhão da Bienal
1989 - São Paulo SP - Group show, at Tema Arte Contemporânea
1991 - Santo André SP - Exposição de Arte Contemporânea (exclusiva para obras premiadas anteriormente) [Contemporary Art Exhibition (exclusively for previously awarded works)] - first acquisition prize
1992 - Terrassa (Spain) - Terrassa 100 anos de Arte e Cultura [Terrassa 100 Years of Art and Culture]
1993 - Barcelona (Spain) - Transterrats
1994 - Barcelona (Spain) - Collecció Riera Anys 40, at Centro de Arte Santa Mônica
1994 - Paris (France) - Transterrats a Paris, at Universidade de Paris
1996 - São Paulo SP - Pintores Espanhóis no Brasil [Spanish Painters in Brazil], at Pinacoteca do Estado
1997 - Barcelona (Spain) - 5º Criteri d'Art
1997 - Barcelona (Spain) - Pere Tort - Obra Recente [Pere Tort - Recent Work]
1998 - Barcelona (Spain) - Mestres da Pintura Catalã dos séculos XIX e XX [Masters of Catalan Painting of the 19th and 20th Centuries], at Galeria Ricard
Source: Itaú Cultural
