Estela Campos and early abstractionism in Pará (1957-1959): hypotheses on invisibilities in art history

Abstract

This paper presents information on a gap in the historiographic studies of art in Belém, Brazil. It discusses the role of the artist Estela Campos in the consolidation of abstractionist currents in the artistic field of Belém, analyzing critical reception of her first three solo exhibitions (1957, 1958 and 1959, in the cities of Belém, Rio de Janeiro, and Belém, respectively). Sources that provide a biographical sketch of the artist are presented, many still unpublished or barely known. In the same way, some hypotheses are raised about aspects that may have contributed to her invisibility in the art history of Belém (sexism, provincialism, localist historiographical approaches).

Keywords
Estela Campos; Belém; Abstractionism; Art history; Brazilian art