Born on the island of Itaparica, Bahia, Agnaldo Manuel dos Santos was a sculptor known for his woodworking skills and for his outstanding knowledge of Brazilian popular culture and African iconography. His work communicates these interests in an original, synthetic, and modern way. Images of Catholicism, such as ex-votos, and references to the carrancas [boat figureheads], emblematic of the São Francisco River region, play important role in his compositions, which are not restricted to any kind of religious dogma, with a strong emphasis on forma. 

Dos Santos’ close contact with modern art began in 1947, when he met the artist Mário Cravo Neto in Salvador. The artist was initially hired as a guard and caretaker at Cravo Neto’s studio but soon began to work as his assistant. Just three years after producing his first sculptures, he took part in the VI Salão Baiano de Belas Artes (1956) and won his first prize. At the height of his career, Dos Santos died prematurely in 1962. For a long time, his production was not thoroughly examined. The modern quality of his work was rejected, as the prevailing critical account insisted on affirming an atavistic and ancestral, almost mystical, relationship with Africa, ignoring the fact that the continent’s art production had been continuously examined and given new meaning by the artist. 

In 1956, Dos Santos held his first solo exhibition at the Petite Galerie in Rio de Janeiro. The event drew the attention of art critics, dealers and collectors, and, from then on, he exhibited many times in galleries in Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. Highlights include the solo show Agnaldo: esculturas, organized by Lina Bo Bardi at the MAM Bahia, Brazil (1961), and the retrospective solo show Agnaldo Manuel dos Santos: inconsciente revelado, curated by Emanoel Araújo at the Pinacoteca de São Paulo (1993). 

The artist took part in the 4th São Paulo Biennial (1957) and was awarded the sculpture prize. Posthumously, Dos Santos’s works were featured in the First World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar, where he represented Brazil alongside Heitor dos Prazeres and Rubem Valentim, winning the sculpture prize also. Other significant posthumous participations for his recognition were: A Mão Afro-brasileira, curated by Emanoel Araújo at MAM São Paulo, Brazil (1988); Histórias Afro-atlânticas, at MASP and the Tomie Ohtake Institute, Brazil (2018); and Black Orpheus: Jacob Lawrence and the Mbari Club, at the Chrysler Museum of Art (2022) and the New Orleans Museum of Art (2023), USA. 

Agnaldo Manuel dos Santos’ works are now part of important collections such as Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Brazil; Museu Afro Brasil Emanoel Araujo, Brazil; MAM Bahia, Brazil; as well as important private collections.