Late Brazilian art critic, Roberto Pontual, honoured at Paris art auction with a series of intimate works

Late Brazilian art critic Roberto Pontual is being honoured as his personal collection goes under the hammer in Paris this month.

The auction, to be held at Drouot Paris by Maurice Auction, features a series of intimate and significant works, highlighting Roberto Pontual’s lasting impact on 20th-century Brazilian art.

Remembered as an influential figure in Rio de Janeiro’s 1970s creative scene, Pontual passed away in 1994, aged 55, due to an HIV infection.

A portion of the auction proceeds will go to supporting HIV/AIDS initiatives

In Pontual’s memory, a portion of the auction proceeds will be donated to Sidaction, a major French public event supporting HIV/AIDS initiatives.

Pontual’s works are among the sale, bringing together approximately 150 major 20th-century works by renowned artists, including Ione Saldanha, Alair Gomes and Osmar Dillon.

This unprecedented sale is the first of its scale dedicated to Brazilian art in Europe. Late Vincent Wierink, Pontual’s partner and universal legatee, honoured his late husband’s legacy in light of his passing.

“Artists adored him for his kindness” – Vincent Wierink, Pontual’s partner honouring the late art critic

“Artists adored him for his kindness and his insatiable curiosity. He advised, enlightened, guided, and encouraged them. His charm, charisma and enthusiasm eased the doubts and anxieties that are the constant companions of artists,” he said.

Pontual began his career in the 1960s as director of the Division of Extracurricular Education at Brazil’s Ministry of Education and Culture, publishing his first neo-concrete poem.

Across his career, he wrote a significant body of journalistic and critical literature, including Dictionary of Plastic Arts in Brazil, Scliar: Reality in Reflection and Transfiguration, Arte Brasil/hoje: 50 Years Later, and Contemporary Brazilian Art: Gilberto Chateaubriand Collection.

When is the Roberto Pontual art auction?

An in-person auction will take place on Tuesday, 31 March at 3 pm in Room 14, Drouot Paris, following two public viewings on Saturday, 28 March and Monday, 30 March, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm, and on Tuesday, 31 March, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm.

For more information, you can visit the official Maurice Auction website.