Véio Retrospective and Amazonian Women Artists Fill Rio’s Museums
Art & Exhibitions
Key Facts
- Véio. Retrospective at the Museu do Pontal gathers more than 300 works across six decades of production.
- Anniversary. The show marks the 50th anniversary of the Museu do Pontal, Brazil’s leading folk art museum.
- Curators. Angela Mascelani and Lucas Van de Beuque sign the Véio retrospective.
- Amazônicas. CCBB Rio opens Amazônicas: Poéticas Femininas on September 2, running to November 16.
- Scale. Around 65 works by some 25 women artists from Pará, Acre and Amazonas.
Rio’s museum season opens with two statements: the Museu do Pontal celebrates its 50th anniversary with a sweeping Véio retrospective, and CCBB Rio brings the women artists of the Amazon center stage.
Two exhibitions bookending Brazilian art — popular sculpture from the sertão and contemporary work from the Amazon — anchor Rio’s cultural calendar this season.
A Retrospective for Véio
Véio — Cícero Alves dos Santos, from Nossa Senhora da Glória, in Sergipe — is one of the masters of Brazilian popular sculpture, famous for transforming gnarled wood into a bestiary of creatures.
The Museu do Pontal retrospective, curated by Angela Mascelani and Lucas Van de Beuque, assembles more than 300 works produced across six decades.
It is the largest institutional survey yet of an artist who spent most of his career far from the gallery circuit, in the sertão of Sergipe.
Fifty Years of the Museu do Pontal
The museum, founded from the collection of French designer Jacques Van de Beuque, holds the country’s most important folk art collection, in Recreio dos Bandeirantes.
The Véio retrospective is the centerpiece of its 50th-anniversary program — a deliberate statement that popular art remains the institution’s core mission.
For many visitors, the show doubles as an introduction to a museum that sits off Rio’s beaten tourist track and rewards the trip.
Amazônicas at CCBB Rio
From September 2 to November 16, CCBB Rio hosts Amazônicas: Poéticas Femininas, a visual arts project built around women creators of the Amazon.
The exhibition gathers around 65 works by approximately 25 artists from Pará, Acre and Amazonas, opening in the week of the Day of the Amazon.
The Rio run follows a season at CCBB Brasília, extending one of the year’s most discussed regional exhibitions to the city’s busiest cultural center.
Why These Two Shows Belong Together
Both exhibitions argue the same point from opposite directions: Brazil’s art map is incomplete if it only covers the Rio–São Paulo axis.
Véio’s carved animals come from the northeastern sertão; the Amazônicas artists work from the rainforest states — territories the national circuit has historically treated as periphery.
That two major institutions program them simultaneously suggests the correction is underway, at least in exhibition terms.
Planning the Visits
The Museu do Pontal sits in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, in Rio’s west zone — best reached by car or BRT, and easily paired with a beach afternoon.
CCBB Rio occupies a historic building on Rua Primeiro de Março, downtown, a short walk from the Candelária and Uruguaiana metro stations.
Amazônicas runs September 2 to November 16; check both institutions’ sites for hours and free-entry days before visiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Véio exhibition at the Museu do Pontal?
A retrospective celebrating the museum’s 50th anniversary, with more than 300 works by the Sergipe-born wood sculptor Véio, curated by Angela Mascelani and Lucas Van de Beuque.
When does Amazônicas open at CCBB Rio?
Amazônicas: Poéticas Femininas runs from September 2 to November 16, 2026, at CCBB Rio de Janeiro, with around 65 works by some 25 women artists from Pará, Acre and Amazonas.
Who is Véio?
Cícero Alves dos Santos, known as Véio, a popular sculptor from Nossa Senhora da Glória, Sergipe, celebrated for transforming found wood into a universe of imagined creatures.
Connected Coverage
Rio’s exhibition season is one of the strongest in years — we map what to see first.
Sources: Paula Toquinho; Sopa Cultural; CCBB (ingressosccbb.com.br); O Globo.
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