State of the Art presented 51 works of Fernand Léger, one of the most famous cubist and abstractionist masters of the twentieth century, in NorteShopping, Porto. Included in the collections of the most revealing and influential artists’ books of the History of Art, “The Circus” of 1950 is a masterpiece with only 280 editions worldwide.
In collaboration with the National Library of Portugal, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and the National Museum of Contemporary Art of Chiado, the exhibition included works of known Portuguese artists, influenced by the circus, such as José de Guimarães and José de Almada Negreiros. In addition, Portuguese contemporary artists Alexandre Rola and David Oliveira exhibited some of their works inspired by the circus.
The ambassador of the exhibition, Jorge Barreto Xavier, former Secretary of State for Culture, said: “It is surprising how an artist of this time managed to reinvent the circus in such a distinct manner.”
For the development of the exhibition, State of the Art invited Atelier FAHR 021.3 to elaborate an architectural design of a seven-pointed star, based on the famous “circus tent”.
Photography © José Campos
Video © Co.lab NorteShopping
