DOS A Big Deal: Three Paintings by Emilio Rouède in Exchange for a City

Abstract

In the collection of the Abílio Barreto Historical Museum (MHAB), we find three works by Emilio Rouède: two landscapes and a representation of a Church. Nothing seems unusual in the works, not because of the technique, much less because of the dimensions. The artist's signature does not seem to attract greater interest, perhaps due to the lack of prominence offered by the museum to both the works and the artist. Why do these works belong to the MHAB collection? Would it have been a donation from an artist with no greater meaning? Information about Rouède was incomplete and scattered, which led us to follow Brazilian newspapers that circulated from 1890 onwards, the date on which the artist moved to Rio de Janeiro, becoming recognized in various activities. His biographical data would already be worthy of interest, but it is surprising that the artist still produced the works considered “without interest” one of the few pictorial records that survived from the old Curral Del Rey, before it was destroyed to occupy the new capital of Minas Gerais. In this article, we review the painter's trajectory since his arrival in Brazil, passing through Rio de Janeiro, Ouro Preto, until the creation of his works that can be found at MHAB. The path taken aims to launch a look at these works and seek to recover part of the context of their production.