RODRIGO MOURA, EL MUSEO'S NEW CHIEF CURATOR
São Paulo’s Art Museum adjunct curator Rodrigo Moura, was appointed as the new Chief Curator by El Museo del Barrio, in New York. Because of his experience according to Patrick Charpenel, director of the New York museum, the Brazilian art specialist integration is a key to enhance the values of integrity and diversity of El Museo.
Moura's prolific career as a curator, as well as a specialized journalist and writer, has positioned him as one of the most outstanding representatives of Brazilian art. His journey began in 2001 as an assistant and, later, curator of the Art Museum of Pampulha, in Belo Horizonte, where he stood out for making individual exhibitions of artists such as Renata Lucas (Brazil 1971) or Damián Ortega (Mexico, 1967). Then, from 2004 to 2016 he worked at the eccentric Instituto Inhotim, an open-air museum that has one of the largest collections of contemporary art in all of Brazil, located in the botanical garden of Minas Gerais. There he served as assistant curator and later as art director and cultural programs.
In 2016, after twelve years at Inhotim he began a brief independent curatorial career where he developed exhibitions of prestigious artists such as the Argentine Jorge Macchi (1963) or the Brazilian Marilá Dardot (1973), among others. Interested, mainly, in Brazilian and Latin American art in general, Moura has also written essays, books and press columns related to art research. Among them we can mention Inhotim: Através, where he makes a look over the whole Brazilian museum collection.
Regarding his new position at El Museo, the Brazilian curator said: “El Museo del Barrio is a striking example of what museums should be doing today. A pioneering, community-centered approach to cultural expressions of art and culture”. In adittion, Moura highlited the museum´s curatorial department attitude to expand the art historical canon and increase the relevance of Latinx and Latin American art in the international stage. “I am honored and excited to carry on this legacy,” he added.
Moura’s appontment as El Museo del Barrio curator is part of a restructuring and enhancement process. Founded in 1969 by Puerto Rican artists and intellectuals from the Harlem neighborhood –that New York city place to which García Lorca dedicated a poem-, El Museo has started since 2017 under Patrick Charpenel direction a path with the objective of representing Latinx (term used in the museum to avoid gender distinctions) production in North American.
Under the tutelage of Rodrigo Moura, El Museo adds another enormous personality to his team, guaranteeing, once again, the commitment and excellence that this new period of the museum promises. “His understanding of the needs of emerging artists, and his intersectional approach to exhibitions, education, and public programs render him exceptionally prepared to shape El Museo’s curatorial framework and lead our curatorial initiatives. I am confident he will be a great addition to our team as we plan El Museo’s bright future,” explained Mr. Charpenel.
