Olívia Guedes Penteado (12 March 1872 – 9 June 1934) was a Brazilian art patron and philanthropist who established the Salón de Arte Moderna in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

. She was a motivating force for the country's

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

movement. Penteado was a friend of key artists of this movement, such as

Anita Malfatti Anita Catarina Malfatti (December 2, 1889 – November 6, 1964) is heralded as the first Brazilian artist to introduce European and American forms of Modernism to Brazil. Her solo exhibition in Sao Paulo, from 1917–1918, was controversial ...

Tarsila do Amaral Tarsila de Aguiar do Amaral (; 1 September 1886 – 17 January 1973) was a Brazilian painter, draftswoman, and translator. She is considered one of the leading Latin American modernist artists, and is regarded as the painter who best achieved Bra ...

, and

Heitor Villa-Lobos Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the ...

. Her niece,

Yolanda Penteado Yolanda de Ataliba Nogueira Penteado (1903-1983) was a Brazilian patron of the arts and member of an affluent coffee ranching family with artistic connections. Her aunt was Olívia Guedes Penteado and she was married to Ciccillo Matarazzo. Refe ...

, was also an art patron.

Biography

Born in

Campinas Campinas (, ''Plains'' or ''Meadows'') is a Brazilian municipality in São Paulo State, part of the country's Southeast Region. According to the 2020 estimate, the city's population is 1,213,792, making it the fourteenth most populous Brazilian ...

in 1872, she was the daughter of the Baron of

Piratininga Piratininga is a municipality ''(município)'' in the state of São Paulo (state) in Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin Americ ...

, José Guedes de Souza, a powerful coffee rancher in the

Mogi Mirim Mogi Mirim is a municipality located in the eastern part of São Paulo State, in Brazil. The population is 93,650 (2020 est.) in an area of 498 km². The elevation is 611 m. Mogi Mirim is around 65 km from Campinas, the biggest city in ...

, and Carolina Leopoldina de Almeida e Souza. Her family descended from

Fernão Dias Pais Fernão is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 mil ...

Amador Bueno Amador Bueno (c. 1584 – c. 1649) was a landowner and colonial administrator of the Captaincy of São Vicente ( Colonial Brazil). Bueno was born around 1584 in the city of São Paulo, Captaincy of São Vicente which is now the State of São P ...

Tibiriçá Chief Tibiriçá (died 1562) baptized as Martim Afonso was an Amerindian leader who converted to Christianity under the auspices of José de Anchieta. He led the Tupiniquim people of Piratininga and other tribes. His daughter, Bartira, took the n ...

, and João Ramalho. Penteado spent her childhood on her father's property, Fazenda da Barra, in Mogi Mirim. She studied at home with private tutors and for a time at Colegio Bojanas. The family later moved to São Paulo, when her father became Baron Piratininga. While living in Paris, Penteado met modernist friends, returning to Brazil with copies of the work of

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

and

Marie Laurencin Marie Laurencin (31 October 1883 – 8 June 1956) was a French painter and printmaker. She became an important figure in the Parisian Avant-garde#:~:text=The avant-garde (/ˌ,art, culture, or society., avant-garde as a member of the Cubism, Cubist ...

, among others. Penteado established the Salón de Arte Moderna in 1923, when she returned to live in Brazil. At the age of 16, Penteado married her first cousin, Inacio Leite Penteado. She fought for women's suffrage, and actively participated in the

Constitutionalist Revolution The Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932 (sometimes also referred to as Paulista War or Brazilian Civil War) is the name given to the uprising of the population of the Brazilian state of São Paulo against the Brazilian Revolution of 1930 when ...

of 1932. She died of

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

in São Paulo in 1934, and was buried in the Consolação Cemetery, São Paulo, her tomb ornamented with a sculpture titled "Sepulture", sculpted by

Victor Brecheret Victor Brecheret, born ''Vittorio Breheret'' (December 15, 1894 – December 17, 1955), was an Italian-Brazilian sculptor. He lived most of his life in São Paulo, except for his studies in Paris in his early twenties. Brecheret's work combin ...

. A railway station stop and a street are both named in her honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guedes Penteado, Olivia 1872 births 1934 deaths People from Campinas Brazilian art patrons Brazilian women philanthropists Museum founders Women founders People from Mogi Mirim