The Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio) is hosting a major retrospective titled 'Rubem Valentim: a ordem do sensível,' featuring approximately 180 works spanning four decades. Curated by Raquel Barreto and Phelipe Rezende, the exhibition showcases Valentim’s unique fusion of modernist abstraction with the spiritual symbols of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous cosmologies. The presentation includes paintings, reliefs, and sculptures, culminating in monumental works like 'Templo de Oxalá.'
This exhibition serves as a critical re-evaluation of Valentim’s legacy, positioning him as a central figure in 20th-century Brazilian art who challenged the perceived neutrality of European modernism. By grounding geometric forms in ritual knowledge and ancestral memory, Valentim transformed abstraction into a tool for cultural resistance. The show highlights how his 'sensitive order' continues to offer a profound language for navigating identity and continuity within the contemporary art historical canon.