Kennedy Bahia Brazilian Modern Wall Tapestry, 1980s

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Woven wall tapestry by Brazilian textile artist Kennedy Bahia circa 1980.

Hummingbird, butterflies and flowers.

“Known nationally and internationally, Kennedy … Read more Woven wall tapestry by Brazilian textile artist Kennedy Bahia circa 1980.

Hummingbird, butterflies and flowers.

“Known nationally and internationally, Kennedy Bahia was one of the pioneers in the expansion of the plastic arts in the State and became known for its cheerful and colorful tapestries, as well as the paintings and engravings of beautiful mulattoes.

In the 60s and 70s, Kennedy Bahia, who was a close friend of the writer Jorge Amado and the also plastic artist Caribé, was considered the greatest tapestry artist in Brazil, with his collection Fauna e Flora da Bahia, from 1973, appreciated by collectors from all over the world.

The artist also contributed to the dissemination of Bahian culture, including adopting the name of the State and disseminating information about Bahia through all the countries where he traveled with his works.

Born Patrick Maderos Kennedy Dito, in 1929, in Valparaiso - Chile, Kennedy Bahia was a mining engineer in his country. He came into contact with the exoticism of Brazilian fauna and flora for the first time when he went to work in the Amazon region, first in the exploration of gold in the Bolivian jungle and then, already in Brazilian territory, in the upper Tapajós - Amazonas.

Convalsing from malaria, the Chilean engineer began his activity as a tapester. The impressions of the jungle, however, never left his mind and his works are characterized by the use of the Amazonian fauna and flora. When he moved to Bahia in the 1960s, he also began to include folkloric motifs of Afro-Bahian culture in his works.”
-Instituto Internacional de Arte Naif See less