Contrary to the current myth of the forgotten artist, rediscoveries are rare in the field of arts. When they happen, most of the time they constitute changes in positions in the historiographic hierar­chy, more than really a rescue from the void. Even in the present case - the retrospective of Noêmia Guerra -, the myth does not ap­ply entirely, even though the name is not familiar, at least to the most recent generations. But the artist is mentioned in dictionar­ies, enjoyed recognition among her peers of the time, and took part in artistic life in Rio de Janeiro until she moved definitively to Paris, in 1958; from then on, her activity was carried on primarily in that European capital. But her curriculum, up to her move, was substantial, and far from being absent from what was going on.

This is, therefore, less a rescue than a re-evaluation, though this evaluation may cause surprise. A surprise because, consider­ing what she accomplished, one would hardly expect her name not to have been mentioned during all these years, even with her career having taken place outside the country: she was not, is not and certainly will not be the last one to make such a move. Indeed, in view of the fact that our culture is frequently impervi­ous to art, this is a solution adopted by many, even if unwillingly. The difficulties are well enough known, and it is commonly said in the artistic world that, here, one is only an artist out of stub­bornness; it is rare for an artist to make a living without having to resort to a parallel career (it is good luck when it can be one connected with art, as is the case of teachers or even designers). In any case, there is nothing new in the saying that Brazilian artistic production is a miracle.

However, this is what happened to Noêmia. Visiting Brazil mostly for personal reasons, her professional relations within the country became almost exclusively personal relations, and her work was not shown among us. (The only one of the artist's paintings belonging to the Modern Art Museum's collection was lost in 1978.) The result is that, with the transfer of the collection from Paris to Rio de Janeiro after her death, what arrived here is indeed a surprise.

The set of works presented in this exhibition is, of course, a selection, and although it has been assembled in a relatively short space of time, it is sufficient for us to perceive that some­thing is missing in the history of Brazilian Art in the fifties and sixties - a study that gives an account of what was really taking place. It is a period of changes, and some of its aspects are cov­ered, others not at all. Noêrmia's work is an example. With many conflicting forces in play - the modernist trend that was waning, geometrical abstraction that was trying hard to dominate, in­formal abstraction that was starting to try to impose itself, and New Figuration that finally stood alone by itself from 1963 on -, this is a rich period, to which another name is now being added - a name that deserves to enrich the history of Art in Brazil.