Football | A stage for emotion

FOOTBALL | A STAGE FOR EMOTION

Football stirs collective emotions with singular intensity. On the days of decisive matches, the country moves to a different rhythm. Homes, bars, squares, and avenues share the same anticipation, suspended between euphoria, tension, and silence. The two photographs presented here capture defining moments in this history: Ronaldo after Brazil’s defeat in the 1998 FIFA World Cup final, and Cafu lifting the trophy after Brazil’s fifth World Cup title in 2002. That same year, the Palio Weekend displayed here was launched to celebrate Brazil’s 2–0 victory over Germany in the World Cup final in Japan. The vehicle bears the players’ signatures.

In the works presented in this section, artists explore football as a visual expression. Antônio Poteiro and Candido Portinari find in the game scenes from everyday life, linked both to the stadium and to dirt pitches. Ana Vitória Mussi and Vicente do Rego Monteiro turn their attention to the goalkeeper, the solitary figure facing the opposing attack.

Rubens Gerchman explores the symbolism of football through jerseys, emblems, and symbols of supporters’ identity. Froiid transforms the pitch into a field of symbolic contest, creating geometric compositions inspired by the famous play known as “the goal Pelé never scored.”

Joaquim Pedro de Andrade’s documentary Garrincha, Alegria do Povo (Garrincha, Joy of the People) completes the section, showing how creativity, limits, and wonder come together in the life of one of Brazil’s greatest players.

ARTWORKS

O Futebol (Football)
Antônio Poteiro, 1979
Oil on canvas
Errol Flynn Galeria de Arte

Meninos Brincando (Boys Playing)
Candido Portinari, 1958
Graphite on paper
James Lisboa Collection, courtesy of Galeria Frente

Goleiro (Goalkeeper)
Vicente do Rego Monteiro, n.d.
Oil on paper
Museu de Valores Collection

Sem título (Untitled)
Maurício Nogueira Lima, 1970
Acrylic on particleboard
Selma dos Santos Sevá Collection — Instituto Maurício Nogueira Lima

Estrelão (Big Star)
Froiid, 2024–2025
Synthetic enamel on wood
Courtesy of the artist and Albuquerque Contemporânea

O drible da vaca / La mano de Dios (The Cow Dribble / The Hand of God)
Froiid, 2024
Digital photograph
Courtesy of the artist and Albuquerque Contemporânea

Futebol — Linguagem (Torneio Início) (Football — Language [Opening Tournament])
Rubens Gerchman, 1967/73
Acrylic, screenprint, and synthetic grass on canvas
Lili and João Avelar Collection
Credit: Daniel Mansur

Goleiro (Goalkeeper)
Ana Vitória Mussi, 1970
Photographic enlargement from a gouache intervention on newspaper
Lili and João Avelar Collection
Credit: Daniel Mansur

Garrincha, Alegria do Povo (Garrincha, Joy of the People)
Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, 1962
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CAR

Vehicle painted by Sid Mosca, designer of Ayrton Senna’s helmet, and autographed by players from Brazil’s five-time FIFA World Cup-winning national football team. Auctioned in support of the Cafu Foundation in 2002.
2003
Valentina Caran Collection

PHOTOS

Brasil e França na final da Copa do Mundo FIFA, na França (Brazil and France in the FIFA World Cup Final in France)
1998
Photographic enlargement
Getty Images
Philippe Caron/Sygma

Comemoração do pentacampeonato do Brasil na Copa do Mundo FIFA, no Japão (Celebration of Brazil’s Fifth FIFA World Cup Title in Japan)
2002
Photographic enlargement
Getty Images
Antonio Scorza/AFP