Brazilian Yoruba Artist, Sculptor, Curator, Araujo Dies At 81
Brazilian artist , writer , curator , Yoruba advocate dies At 81 , Emanoel Araujo Turns Orisa
One of Brazil’s most expressive African art and culture advocate , Emanoel Araújo has joined his Ancestors , the soft spoken artist , sculptor , writer , curator died at the early hours of Wednesday 7th of September, 2022.
Described as artist who depicts Yoruba philosophy in several of his works , Emanoel Araújo was the director of the Bahia Art Museum, taught graphic arts and sculpture at Arts College.
Araújo taught at The City University in New York , he taught Yoruba history and carvings in Brazil , Cuba , Trinidade and Tobago.
An Africanist , Araujo was the director of the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo between 1992 and 2002 . The Governor of Saopaulo has declared 3 days to mourn the death
A painter and sculptor , Emanoel Araujo was the curator of the Afro Brasil Museum until his death . He was found lifeless by a museum employee at his residence, in the Bela Vista neighborhood, the central region of the city of São Paulo, around 10 am this Wednesday, According to a note released by the museum, the cause of his death was heart attack.
The wake keep will take place this Thursday 8th from 9 am, at the museum’s headquarters will be opened to the public to pay last homage to the Icon . Entrance will be through Gate 3 of Ibirapuera Park. Burial will be at 4:00 pm at the Consolação Cemetery. .
Emanoel Araujo has always been a patriot who elevated and promoted Brazil and the culture of our country”, says the text.
The governor of São Paulo, Rodrigo Garcia (PSDB), declared three days of official mourning in the state.
“Emanoel Araújo was an icon of black culture in Brazil. Artist, teacher, researcher and public manager of multiple talents, Emanoel gave a new dynamic to the Pinacoteca de São Paulo, founded the AfroBrasil Museum and worked throughout his life for the appreciation of the history of Afro-descendants and African art. “ São Paulo will continue with its teachings”, Says the Governor of Saopaulo.
“ As a visual artist and great intellectual, Emanoel was fundamental, he reduced the barriers and frontiers of Afro-Brazilian culture. He left a legacy for the society and cultural institutions to continue,” Says Saopaulo State Gov.
“He is more than a modern and contemporary reference. Emanoel fought for diversity , recognition and appreciation of ancestry, he defended the African arts with a great contribution to Afro-Brazilian history in all aspects”, he added.
Emanoel Araujo , who also traced his origin to Abeokuta , Ogun state , Nígeria, was born in Santo Amaro da Purificação, Bahia, on November 15,1940. In 1959, he held his first solo exhibition in his homeland. He moved to Salvador in the 1960s and joined the Escola de Belas Artes da Bahia (UFBA), where he studied Fine Arts
His first national award was in 1966, for his participation in the II Young National Engraving Exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of São Paulo and, on the international circuit, he was awarded, in 1972 with the gold medal at the 3rd Graphic Biennial in Florence, Italy. . The following year, he received the award from the São Paulo Association of Art Critics (APCA) for best engraver, and, in 1983, for best sculptor.
Araujo , from the Brazilian Association of Art Critics (ABCA) , received the “Cicillo Matarazzo” Award in 1998 and 2007. Araujo received the Clarival do Prado Valladares Award. In 2020, he also received the Zumbi dos Palmares Medal by the Salvador City Council. In 2021, he was awarded the Tarsila do Amaral Medal by the Government of the State of São Paulo.
Advocate of Yoruba sculptures, Emanoel Araujo was the director of Bahia Art Museum (1981-1983). He taught graphic arts and sculpture at the City University in New York (1988). Between 1992 and 2002 , he was the director of Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo. In 1995 and 1996, he was an invited member of the Museums Commission and the Federal Council for Cultural Policy established by the Ministry of Culture. In 2004, he founded the Museu Afro-Brasil in São Paulo, and of which he was Curator and Executive Director.
Emanoel Araújo exhibited in several national and international galleries , totaling around 50 individual exhibitions and more than 150 collective ones. During his tenure at the Afro Brasil Museum, the exhibition “Africa Africans”, of which he curated was awarded the best exhibition of the year 2015 by ABCA.
As an independent curator, his exhibition “Francisco Brennand Senhor da Várzea, da Argila e do Fogo” received the Paulo Mendes de Almeida award as the best exhibition held in the country in 2017. Emanoel Araújo was working on a project to extend to the Afro Brasil Museum in November, a thematic exhibition on the bicentennial of independence, intertwining two dates: September 7th , the day of the proclamation of the country’s independence in the capital of São Paulo, and July 2, 1823, which was the date of effectiveness of the Bahian independence movement that effected the process of emancipation of Brazil.
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