Samson Flexor (1907–1971) started studying painting and music in Romania when he was eleven years old; he moved to Brussels and then to Paris in 1922 to continue his studies. After converting to Catholicism in 1933, he painted religious-themed murals and, during his time as a “Maqui” (a member of the French Resistance during the Second World War), he painted Expressionist and Cubist studies of the Passion of Christ. After visiting São Paulo in 1946 for a show of his works at the Galeria Prestes Maia (1948), he moved his family and settled there. Two years later he opened the Atelier Abstração—a studio in his own home (in the Vila Mariana neighborhood) where the principles of abstract art were taught, and recitals and conferences were organized—which became a gathering place for artists and intellectuals.
The problems Flexor faced in Europe during the war and his transition to abstract art (once he was living in Brazil) might be the “painful experience” the author mentions. Martins discusses Flexor’s work during that period, noting that “the painter gave the impression that he had had challenging experiences and was on a difficult quest.” Flexor was, in fact, endowed with a poetic sensibility that clashed with his artistic approach to the abstract, a significant contradiction when his sensual temperament is taken into account. In spite of his studio-workshop and his students, Flexor led a solitary life in Brazil; consequently, though he nurtured an entire generation of abstract artists, his own work was not that easy to classify.
[For more information about Flexor’s work, see the following in the ICAA Digital Archive: “Do figurativismo ao abstracionismo” (1085735) by León Degand; “Flexor: abstracionismo não é fato improvisado” (1111157), “Artistas de São Paulo e Rio pleiteiam modificacoes no regulamento da Bienal” (1307093), “Pintores do Atelier Abstração” (1085247), “Atelier Abstração” (1232253), and “A representação brasileira na IX Bienal de São Paulo” (1111146), five texts by Mário Schenberg.]
This was the catalogue for solo exhibitions of works by Anatol Wladyslaw (a member of the Grupo ruptura) and Paulo Rissone, both of whom were awarded the Prêmio Leirner de Arte Contemporânea in 1958. In 1957, the major art promoters in São Paulo noticed that important figurative artists had been excluded from the biennial, which was more focused on Concrete art. As a result, the industrialist Isaí Leirner (who was, at the time, the director of the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo) sponsored an alternative exhibition of works by twelve São Paulo artists. This first exhibition—which was later called the Prêmio Leirner de Arte Contemporânea—was held in the lobby of the building where the newspaper Folha de São Paulo had its offices. Leirner eventually created a space specifically for this purpose, known as the Galeria de Arte das Folhas (which was open from 1958 to 1962), where exhibitions, debates, and lectures were organized to discuss a wide range of trends and styles other than the ones endorsed by the organizers of the Bienal de São Paulo. Leirner and the other businessmen who were involved in the Galeria often bought the works exhibited there, which they then donated to various museums, thus contributing to the institutional recognition of participating artists. During its four-year lifespan, the Galeria introduced many emerging artists, such as Franz Weissmann, Regina Silveira, Maria Helena Andrés, Mário Silésio, Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, Willys de Castro, and Hermelindo Fiaminghi, among others.
[For complementary readings on this subject, see: “Prêmio Leirner de Arte Contemporânea, 1960” (1232976); “Anatol Wladyslaw” (1322921) by José Geraldo Vieira; “Paulo Rissone” (1322939) by Geraldo Ferraz; “Murilo Penteado” (1309128) by Oswald de Andrade Filho; “Moacyr Rocha” (1309168) and “Niobe Xandó” (1309188) by Wolfgang Pfeiffer; and “Raúl Porto” (1309108) by Décio Pignatari.]
