RIO DE JANEIRO.- Suspended above Guanabara Bay, Oscar Niemeyer’s MAC Niterói sets the stage for Then and Now – Brazilian Legacy, a landmark exhibition that brings two generations of Brazilian designers into dialogue. The show presents a constellation of voices: iconic mid-century modernists who helped forge a national identity through design, and contemporary artists whose work reframes legacy through material experimentation, cultural multiplicity, and new urgencies.

This legacy is rooted in a broader project: the construction of a modern Brazilian design language that responded not only to European modernist ideals, but to Brazil’s own materials, climates, and social realities.

More than sixty works will be shown in this exceptional exhibition—the largest of its kind to date in Brazil, and the first to bring together such a broad and inter-generational survey of both modernist and contemporary Brazilian designers.

Tribute is made to Pionniers of Brazilian modernist design are honoured, including: Joaquim Tenreiro, Lina Bo Bardi, Sergio Rodrigues, José Zanine Caldas, Ricardo Fasanello, Giuseppe Scapinelli, Fernando Mendes and Jorge Zalszupin.

Opposite them, a new generation of contemporary artists revisits this heritage: Alexia Vela Akasaka, Estúdios Prosa, Gabriela Campos, Hugo França, Rafael Triboli, Lucas Recchia, André Ferri, Estúdio Orth, Lorenzo Lo Schiavo, Aver, Gustavo Dias and Hanna Englund.

Launched in 2015, PHILIA is an international gallery of contemporary art and modern design, representing both emerging and established designers and artists. The gallery was founded by two brothers brought together by a shared passion for art, literature, and philosophy. PHILIA takes pride in discovering new talents and offering them international platforms to showcase their creations. Among these are Niclas Wolf, Andres Monnier, Pierre De Valck, and others. Alongside this new generation of 21st-century collectible design, PHILIA also collaborates with established creators such as Studiopepe, Elsa Foulon, and Rick Owens.

Galerie Philia has a strong international presence, with spaces in Geneva, New York, Singapore and Mexico City. In addition to its permanent venues, the gallery organises temporary group exhibitions and artist residencies in exceptional locations around the world.