Abaporu

Abaporu
ArtistTarsila do Amaral
Year1928
MediumOil on canvas
MovementAnthropophagism, Surrealism
Dimensions85 cm × 73 cm (33 in × 29 in)
LocationLatin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires

Abaporu (from Tupi language "abapor’u", abá (man) + poro (people) + ’u (to eat), lit.'the man that eats people') is an oil painting on canvas by Brazilian painter Tarsila do Amaral. It was painted as a birthday gift to writer Oswald de Andrade, who was her husband at the time.

It is considered the most valuable painting by a Brazilian artist, having reached the value of $1.4 million, paid by Argentine collector Eduardo Costantini in an auction in 1995.[1] It is currently displayed at the Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires (Spanish: Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, MALBA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.[2]

The subject matter – one man, the sun and a cactus – inspired Oswald de Andrade to write the Manifesto Antropófago and consequently create the Anthropophagic Movement, intended to "swallow" foreign culture and turn it into something culturally Brazilian.

  1. ^ "Christie's - Latin American Art". Archived from the original on 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  2. ^ "MALBA - Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires - la colecci&oa…". Archived from the original on 27 November 2012.