
ANTONIO HENRIQUE AMARAL
Sexus
1967
Oil on eucatex
47 1/4 by 35 1/4 in. 120 by 89.5 cm.
ANTONIO HENRIQUE AMARAL
O discurso ou El tirano
1967
Oil on canvas
51 by 62 1/2 in. 129.5 by 158.8 cm.
ANTONIO HENRIQUE AMARAL
Third Person
1967
Oil on eucatex
35 1/4 by 47 1/8 in. 89.5 by 119.7 cm.
ANTONIO HENRIQUE AMARAL
Armas (Weapons)
1992
Oil on canvas
78 by 79 in. 198.1 by 200.7 cm.
ANTONIO HENRIQUE AMARAL
Casal de novo
1995
Oil on canvas
70 7/8 by 70 7/8 in. 180 by 180 cm.
ANTONIO HENRIQUE AMARAL
O início ou Torsos (The Beginning or Torsos)
1995
oil on canvas
51 by 51 1/4 in. 129.5 by 130.2 cm.
ANTONIO HENRIQUE AMARAL
Na paisagem, um grupo... (In the landscape, a group...)
1996
Oil on canvas
79 by 79 in. 200.7 by 200.7 cm.
ANTONIO HENRIQUE AMARAL
O nascimento da folha (The Birth of the Leaf)
1997
Oil on canvas
48 by 72 in. 121.9 by 182.9 cm.
b. 1935, São Paulo, Brazil
d. 2015, São Paulo, Brazil
Antonio Henrique Amaral is a pioneering figure in Latin American art. Born in Brazil in 1935, Amaral developed his signature style during the second half of the 20th century, coming of age under the 1964 coup d’état which installed military rule in his home country.
His shrewd and allegorical works of this period in the 1960s deal with political violence and existential discontent through an incisive visual approach that seeks to challenge authoritarianism. In 1971, Amaral began traveling frequently to New York where he took a studio and joined other artistic expatriates who found far more favorable conditions in the US for producing work without the constant risk of censorship. Amaral's paintings from this time reach a peak of combativeness and visceral impact. When the military dictatorship in Brazil was overturned through democratic elections in the late-1980s, Amaral shifted his attention to representations of forests, water and other forms of nature- and, frequently, the dangers to their survival- very much in keeping with his career-long interest in shining a light on modes of oppression.
With his innate ability to form an immediately recognizable visual vocabulary for the much-needed expression of criticism, satire and provocation, Amaral created a body of work which speaks to global concerns as much now as it ever has.
All images Courtesy of Instituto Antonio Henrique Amaral and Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York