Rubem Valentim: A Ordem do Sensível takes place at the Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio).

One of the most comprehensive and expressive exhibitions dedicated to the artist, the show is curated by Raquel Barreto and Phelipe Rezende and presents nearly 180 works by Valentim. The exhibition highlights the diversity of techniques and the complexity of his thinking, guided by an itinerary that traces the significant cities in the artist’s career: his hometown of Salvador, as well as Rio de Janeiro, Rome, and Brasília, where he lived at different times.

“Tracing these cities is a way of understanding the transformations in his working methods. It’s not about geographical determinism, but rather about bringing together contextual shifts, artistic maturity, research, and contacts — all of which are highly perceptible, from the references to the palettes and forms,” notes Raquel Barreto, also chief curator of MAM Rio, in an interview with O Globo.

Celebrated as one of the leading figures in 20th-century Brazilian art, Rubem Valentim created a visual and conceptual vocabulary centered on Afro‑Brazilian religious symbolism combined with geometric abstraction. In addition to sculptures and paintings produced over five decades, the exhibition also features his theoretical work, expressed in the manifesto Ainda que tardio (1976).