Alberto da Veiga Guignard: Biography and Work – The Guignard School, Minas Gerais, and the Legacy of a Master

In 1941, he joined the Organizing Commission of the Modern Art Division of the National Fine Arts Salon, with Oscar Niemeyer and Aníbal Machado .

This was an important opportunity for him.

In 1943, he created the Guignard Group from a group of students interested in taking classes in his atelier under his guidance.

This group was fundamental for the development of his skills.

In 1944, at the invitation of Mayor Juscelino Kubitschek , he moved to Belo Horizonte with the intention of founding the first educational institution focused on plastic arts in Minas, the Municipal School of Fine Arts of Belo Horizonte, simultaneously implementing the first Modern Art Exhibition in the capital city that year.

He worked hard to make this school a success.

He began teaching and directing the free drawing and painting course at the School of Fine Arts, through which Amilcar de Castro , Farnese de Andrade  and Lygia Clark , among others, passed.

These students were influenced by his innovative approach.

He remained at the helm of the school, in his honor, which then became known as Guignard School.

He left a lasting mark on artistic education.

Guignard lived in that region for the next seventeen years, drawing inspiration from it for a diverse series of landscape works, including sketches, drawings, oil paintings on canvas or wood, as well as drawings and paintings of people he encountered or met sporadically.

These works reflect his deep connection with nature.

He passed away in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, on June 26, 1962. His body rests in the São Francisco de Assis Church in Ouro Preto, a city he had a special passion for and which was the setting for many of his works.

He was buried in a city he loved.

He loved it so much that the Museu Casa Guignard was founded there, in addition to his works, it is possible to find photos and personal objects of the artist.

Guignard and Ouro Preto

Enchanted by the landscapes of Minas' historic cities, Guignard mythologized the theme in a work that imposed itself on the respect and admiration of Brazil. The house where the museum was installed, belongs to the IEPHA since 1974 and was ceded to the Secretariat of State for Culture of Minas Gerais to be the seat of the museum.

He worked to transform this house into a museum.

The Museum was inaugurated in 1987 and is part of the Operational System of the Secretariat of State for Culture of Minas Gerais, through the Superintendence of Museums, installed in a historic building in the center of Ouro Preto.

Located in the city center, the museum is a popular destination.

Its collection brings together works by the author and pieces that illustrate his life, offering a broad view of the master's trajectory.

The works and objects in the museum provide a detailed view of Guignard's life.

Temporary exhibitions, research, and educational action dynamize the cultural space.

These activities keep the museum alive and constantly evolving.

LOCATION: Rua Conde de Bobadela (Rua Direita), 110, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil

CARTAS PARA AMALITA, SEU AMOR PLATÔNICO

Guignard's life is filled with picturesque and melancholic episodes.

In 1932, at the age of 36, he met the music student Amalita Fontenelle at a concert at the Municipal Theater, eleven years his junior.

He was drawn to her at that concert.

For five years, Guignard wrote to his platonic love, cards and more cards on almost all commemorative dates.

He expressed his feelings through cards.

Hand-drawn and bordered cards with love phrases, dedications, and poems.

These cards reflect his love for Amalita.

They even exchanged letters, but the cards were never sent.

Unfortunately, they never managed to meet.

Approximately 120 cards were collected in an album and donated, still alive, to the poet Oswald de Andrade.

These cards are now part of the museum's collection.

Today they are part of the Casa Guignard collection in Ouro Preto and reflect Guignard's timidity in expressing his feelings.

To understand the rest of this journey, continue reading our next article: Alberto da Veiga Guignard: Biography and Work – Style, Portraits, and Imaginative Landscapes.