The playful juxtaposition of a massive bull and a helicopter hovering insectlike in the distance captures the essence of an exhibition celebrating modern agriculture, the mainstay of Brazil’s economy. The choice of motifs also reflects the vital relationship between tradition and modernity and between nature and technological innovation that characterized Bo Bardi’s architectural practice. Although trained in her native Italy, she became central to the Brazilian renaissance of modernist architecture and design soon after settling in São Paulo in 1948. The agriculture exhibition and launch of the São Paulo Bienal in 1951 were part of the city’s four–hundredth anniversary celebrations, which brought international attention to the city as the center of this national movement.
Gallery label from Designing Modern Women 1890–1990, October 5, 2013–October 1, 2014.
