Carlos Vergara

(this page was last updated in February 2019)

Lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Member of the PIPA Prize Nominating Committee 2012 and 2019

Carlos Vergara was born in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 1941. He began his trajectory in the 60s, when young artists began incorporating the theme of resistance to the military dictatorship in their work. In 1965, he participated in the Opinião 65 showing at the Museu de Arte Moderna of Rio de Janeiro, an important mark in brazilian art history as it showcased new artists´critical position towards the current political and social reality. The formation of the Nova Figuração Brasileira movement happened during this exhibition, and together with other artists such as Antônio Dias, Rubens Gerchmann and Roberto Magalhães, Vergara joined by producing pieces that carried strong political messages. During the 70s, his work went through significant changes and he began to conquer his own space in the brazilian art scene, especially with photographs and installations. Since the 80s, paintings and monotypes have been the core of his experimentations, which he characterizes by always innovating but also making sure he doesn’t lose his identity and the certainty that the field of the painting is endlessly expandable. During his career, Vergara has been in more than 180 individual exhibitions and group shows.