Rubem Valentim: A Celebration of Color and Form

Rubem Valentim (1922-1991) was a Brazilian sculptor, painter, engraver, and professor. He began his career in the 1940s as a self-taught painter.

In the mid-1940s, Rubem Valentim worked alongside artists like Mario Cravo Júnior and Carlos Bastos to reinvigorate the artistic landscape of Bahia, Brazil. This group was dedicated to pushing the boundaries of traditional art.

Valentim's artistic journey took him to Rome in the 1960s, where he lived from 1963 to 1966, after winning the prize for a trip abroad at the National Salon of Modern Art - SNAM. And in 1966 he took part in the World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar, Senegal.

In 1998, the Museum of Modern Art of Bahia - MAM/BA inaugurated the Rubem Valentim Special Room in the Sculpture Park and holds multiple of his artworks from the "Emblema" series in the permanent collection.