This downloadable catalogue accompanies the first solo exhibition of Amilcar de Castro ever presented in Europe, held at our gallery in Paris in 2013. The exhibition introduced European audiences to a selection of works created between 1980 and 1996, offering a focused perspective on the final decades of the artist’s career. As stated in the original document, the exhibition “showcases a selection of iconic works from 1980 to 1996, from paintings to wood or iron sculptures” .

Amilcar de Castro (1920–2002) is one of the central figures of Brazilian Neo‑Concrete art. His artistic formation began under the guidance of Alberto da Veiga Guignard, from whom he learned drawing techniques in the 1940s. The catalogue notes that it was Guignard who taught him “the one that applies a rough pencil on paper, which he used later for his researches on painting, until he finally gets to sculptures” . These early studies shaped the clarity and structural precision that would later define his sculptural language.

Throughout the 1950s, Amilcar developed a unique approach to sculpture based on cutting and folding metal, integrating lessons from drawing and painting into three‑dimensional form. His work is deeply connected to the raw materials of his native Minas Gerais, a region where, as the document describes, “vegetal and mineral are important part of inhabitants history and daily life” . This relationship with matter became a defining element of his artistic identity.

In 1959, Amilcar de Castro participated in the first Neo‑Concrete Exhibition in Rio de Janeiro alongside Ferreira Gullar, Franz Weissmann, Lygia Clark, Lygia Pape, Reynaldo Jardim, and Theon Spanudis. As the text explains, Neo‑Concrete artists sought to create artworks “like living organisms constructing a direct relationship between the art piece and the viewer” , emphasizing sensorial experience over static form. Amilcar’s sculptures, whether in steel or wood, embody this principle through their interplay of mass, void, gesture, and balance.

His body of work has influenced generations of artists from the 1950s to today. The catalogue highlights his belief that artistic creation emerges from introspection, quoting him directly: “This internal silence looking for the origin of things is the big problem in art. Looking for the source you become unique” .

The original printed catalogues produced for this exhibition and earlier presentations are now sold out, making this digital edition the only available way to access the material. It offers collectors, researchers, and art enthusiasts an accessible introduction to one of the most important figures of Brazilian modern and contemporary art, and a rare opportunity to explore the work of an artist whose contribution to Neo‑Concrete thought remains fundamental.

This downloadable edition provides a meaningful way to discover Amilcar de Castro’s legacy and to engage with a selection of works that reflect the depth, clarity, and conceptual rigor of his artistic practice.