Victor Gerhard (Santa Cruz do Sul RS 1936)
Victor Gerhard (Victor Décio Gerhard) is a painter, draftsman, printmaker and teacher. He attends drawing and painting courses with Ivan Serpa and Domenico Lazzarini, as well as art history courses with Frederico Morais and Mário Barata, at the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (MAM/RJ). In 1963, he studies with Maria de Lourdes Novaes at the Ateliê Livre de Artes Plásticas, in the same city. In 1965, Victor Gerhard travels to Europe as winner of the Prêmio Air France de Pintura [Air France Painting Prize]. In 1966, he works as a teacher at the Ateliê Centro de Arte Contemporânea, formerly the Ateliê Livre de Artes Plásticas.
Throughout his career, Victor Gerhard takes part in solo and group exhibitions in Brazil and abroad, with a presence in modern art salons and in shows devoted to printmaking and contemporary art. His production combines painting, drawing and printmaking, engaging with formal investigations linked to abstraction and with constructive research developed in the context of postwar Brazilian art. Works by Victor Gerhard are part of institutional holdings and of public and private collections, reaffirming the importance of his work for the history of Brazilian art.
Critiques
"(...) For some time I have followed his production, ever better and greater. (...) It is in printmaking that he seems to best express his particular way of being and of seeing the world and people, even when he says that only the plastic result matters to him. It is through printmaking, on the other hand, that Gerhard contributes significantly to the current development of Brazilian art, that is, to the strengthening of our avant-garde. (...) The printmaking he does is stripped down, with simple, direct and communicative forms, and not detail-printmaking, effect-printmaking. Large-format prints, unafraid of color (street color, to be seen from afar), without that prejudiced dejection of printmaking-as-minor-art. What he does, therefore, is the only printmaking capable of meeting the psychological, cultural and even geographical needs of a country of continental dimensions. Gerhard came to art by way of Pop or New Realism. His collages (which he has now abandoned) were a kind of mosaic newspaper of everyday events, everything was shown at the same time, tumultuously. A collage of events - in which the social emerges randomly, simply, because it is an appropriation of the debris of today's urban reality".
Frederico Morais
CAVALCANTI, Carlos; AYALA, Walmir, org. Dicionário brasileiro de artistas plásticos. Apresentação de Maria Alice Barroso. Brasília: MEC/INL, 1973-1980. (Dicionários especializados, 5).
Solo Exhibitions
1965 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Galeria Gead
1967 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Petite Galerie
1971 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Gerhard no Ibeu [Gerhard at Ibeu], at Ibeu Copacabana
1973 - São Paulo SP - Gerhard Neons, at Múltipla Galeria
1975 - Paris (France) - Solo, at Galerie Debret
1990 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Solo, at Open House
Group Exhibitions
1964 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Salão dos Anônimos [Salon of the Anonymous], at Galeria Gead - 1st prize
1965 - Belo Horizonte MG - 20º Salão Municipal de Belas Artes [20th Municipal Fine Arts Salon]
1965 - Campinas SP - 1º Salão de Arte Contemporânea de Campinas [1st Campinas Contemporary Art Salon]
1965 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 14º Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna [14th National Salon of Modern Art]
1965 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 1º Salão Esso de Artistas Jovens [1st Esso Salon of Young Artists]
1966 - Belo Horizonte MG - 21º Salão Municipal de Belas Artes [21st Municipal Fine Arts Salon] - honorable mention
1966 - Brasília DF - Salão de Arte Moderna do Distrito Federal [Federal District Salon of Modern Art]
1966 - Curitiba PR - 23º Salão Paranaense de Belas Artes [23rd Paraná Fine Arts Salon], at Biblioteca Pública do Paraná - acquisition prize
1966 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 15º Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna [15th National Salon of Modern Art]
1966 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 1º Salão de Abril [1st April Salon], at MAM/RJ
1966 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Salão do Ateliê Livre de Artes Plásticas [Ateliê Livre de Artes Plásticas Salon], at Palácio da Cultura
1966 - Salvador BA - 1ª Bienal Nacional de Artes Plásticas [1st National Visual Arts Biennial] - acquisition prize
1966 - São Paulo SP - 15º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [15th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art], at Galeria Prestes Maia
1966 - São Paulo SP - 2ª Exposição da Jovem Gravura Nacional [2nd Young National Printmaking Exhibition], at MAC/USP
1967 - Belo Horizonte MG - 22º Salão Municipal de Belas Artes [22nd Municipal Fine Arts Salon]
1967 - Brasília DF - 4º Salão de Arte Moderna do Distrito Federal [4th Federal District Salon of Modern Art], at Teatro Nacional Cláudio Santoro
1967 - Campinas SP - 3º Salão de Arte Contemporânea de Campinas [3rd Campinas Contemporary Art Salon], at MACC - Campinas City Hall Prize
1967 - Chile - 3ª Bienal Americana de Gravura [3rd American Printmaking Biennial]
1967 - Curitiba PR - 24º Salão Paranaense de Belas Artes [24th Paraná Fine Arts Salon]
1967 - Ouro Preto MG - 1º Salão de Desenho de Ouro Preto [1st Ouro Preto Drawing Salon]
1967 - Paris (France) - Salon Comparaisons
1967 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 16º Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna [16th National Salon of Modern Art]
1967 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 3ª O Rosto e a Obra [3rd The Face and the Work], at Galeria Ibeu Copacabana
1967 - São Paulo SP - 16º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [16th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art] - large silver medal in printmaking
1967 - São Paulo SP - 1ª Jovem Arte Contemporânea [1st Young Contemporary Art], at MAC/USP
1967 - São Paulo SP - 9ª Bienal Internacional de São Paulo [9th São Paulo International Biennial], at Fundação Bienal - acquisition prize
1968 - Campinas SP - 4º Salão de Arte Contemporânea de Campinas [4th Campinas Contemporary Art Salon], at MACC
1968 - Curitiba PR - 25º Salão Paranaense [25th Paraná Salon], at Biblioteca Pública do Paraná
1968 - Londrina PR - Salão de Arte Religiosa Brasileira [Brazilian Religious Art Salon]
1968 - Ouro Preto MG - 2º Salão de Desenho de Ouro Preto [2nd Ouro Preto Drawing Salon] - acquisition prize
1968 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 17º Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna [17th National Salon of Modern Art], at MAM/RJ
1968 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 2º Salão Esso de Artistas Jovens [2nd Esso Salon of Young Artists]
1968 - Salvador BA - Bienal Nacional de Artes Plásticas [National Visual Arts Biennial]
1968 - São Paulo SP - 17º Salão Paulista de Arte Moderna [17th São Paulo Salon of Modern Art]
1968 - São Paulo SP - 2ª Jovem Arte Contemporânea [2nd Young Contemporary Art], at MAC/USP - acquisition prize
1968 - Três Aspectos do Desenho e da Gravura Brasileira Atual [Three Aspects of Current Brazilian Drawing and Printmaking], traveling through the Americas
1968/1970 - Paris (France) - Artistas Brasileiros do Ateliê Livre de Artes Plásticas [Brazilian Artists of the Ateliê Livre de Artes Plásticas], at Galerie Debret
1968/1970 - Washington (United States) - Artistas Brasileiros do Ateliê Livre de Artes Plásticas [Brazilian Artists of the Ateliê Livre de Artes Plásticas], at Art Gallery of the Brazilian American Cultural Institute
1969 - Belo Horizonte MG - Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna de Belo Horizonte [Belo Horizonte National Salon of Modern Art] - special mention in drawing
1969 - Porto Alegre RS - 2ª Jovem de Arte Contemporânea [2nd Young Contemporary Art], at Margs
1969 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 18º Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna [18th National Salon of Modern Art]
1969 - São Paulo SP - 10ª Bienal Internacional de São Paulo [10th São Paulo International Biennial], at Fundação Bienal
1969 - São Paulo SP - 3ª Jovem Arte Contemporânea [3rd Young Contemporary Art], at MAC/USP
1970 - Barcelona (Spain) - Arte Brasileira Contemporânea [Contemporary Brazilian Art]
1970 - Geneva (Switzerland) - Arte Brasileira Contemporânea [Contemporary Brazilian Art]
1970 - Milan (Italy) - Arte Brasileira Contemporânea [Contemporary Brazilian Art]
1970 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 19º Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna [19th National Salon of Modern Art], at MAM/RJ
1970 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Salão do Ateliê Livre de Artes Plásticas [Ateliê Livre de Artes Plásticas Salon], at Palácio da Cultura
1970 - São Paulo SP - 2º Panorama de Arte Atual Brasileira [2nd Panorama of Current Brazilian Art], at MAM/SP
1970 - São Paulo SP - A Gravura Brasileira [Brazilian Printmaking], at Paço das Artes
1970 - São Paulo SP - Bienal Nacional [National Biennial]
1970 - São Paulo SP - Pré-Bienal de São Paulo [São Paulo Pre-Biennial], at Fundação Bienal
1971 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - Exposição de Múltiplos [Multiples Exhibition], at Petite Galerie
1971 - São Paulo SP - 5ª Jovem Arte Contemporânea [5th Young Contemporary Art], at MAC/USP
1972 - São Paulo SP - Mostra de Arte Sesquicentenário da Independência e Brasil Plástica - 72 [Art Exhibition for the Sesquicentennial of Independence and Brasil Plástica - 72], at Fundação Bienal
1973 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 22º Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna [22nd National Salon of Modern Art]
1974 - Campinas SP - 9º Salão de Arte Contemporânea de Campinas [9th Campinas Contemporary Art Salon], at MACC
1974 - São Paulo SP - Bienal Nacional 74 [National Biennial 74], at Fundação Bienal
1977 - São Paulo SP - 9º Panorama de Arte Atual Brasileira [9th Panorama of Current Brazilian Art], at MAM/SP
1978 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 1º Salão Nacional de Artes Plásticas [1st National Visual Arts Salon], at MNBA
1979 - Rio de Janeiro RJ - 2º Salão Nacional de Artes Plásticas [2nd National Visual Arts Salon], at MAM/RJ
1979 - São Paulo SP - O Grupo Santa Helena [The Santa Helena Group], at Uirapuru Galeria de Arte
1981 - Curitiba PR - 38º Salão Paranaense [38th Paraná Salon], at Teatro Guaíra
1981 - Paris (France) - Victor Gerhard e Lúcia de Mattos: Photographies et Aquarelles [Victor Gerhard and Lúcia de Mattos: Photographs and Watercolors], at Galerie Debret
1981 - Recife PE - 34º Salão de Artes Plásticas de Pernambuco [34th Pernambuco Visual Arts Salon], at Museu do Estado de Pernambuco
1982 - Curitiba PR - 5ª Mostra Anual de Gravura Cidade de Curitiba [5th Curitiba Annual Printmaking Show], at Casa da Gravura Solar do Barão
1984 - Curitiba PR - 6ª Mostra da Gravura Cidade de Curitiba [6th Curitiba City Printmaking Exhibition], at Fundação Cultural de Curitiba
1992 - Petrópolis RJ - Arte em Araras [Art in Araras], at Graell Pub & Restaurante
1996 - São Paulo SP - Arte Brasileira: 50 anos de história no acervo MAC/USP: 1920-1970 [Brazilian Art: 50 Years of History in the MAC/USP Collection: 1920-1970], at MAC/USP
