The 1940s saw a surge in the development of Brazilian art institutions. The establishment of the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM-SP), Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP), and Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro (MAM-RJ) reflected Brazil's growing interest in contemporary art and its desire to engage with international artistic movements.

In 1951, Brazil further solidified its position on the global art scene by inaugurating the Bienal Internacional de São Paulo, the first international art biennial after Venice. This event highlighted Brazil's commitment to art and culture and its aspiration to be part of the emerging post-war international art circuit.

The roots of Brazilian modernism can be traced back to the Semana de Arte Moderna (Modern Art Week) of 1922. This event gave rise to a generation of artists, including Anita Malfatti and Vicente do Rego Monteiro, who sought to create a distinctly Brazilian form of modern art. Inspired by Oswald de Andrade's concept of "national identity," these artists aimed to "devour" and "digest" foreign European culture and indigenous and Afro-Brazilian traditions to forge a unique artistic expression.

While early Brazilian modern artists like Lasar Segall and Tarsila do Amaral maintained a certain distance from indigenous and Afro-Brazilian influences, a later generation, including Djanira da Motta e Silva and Rubem Valentim, embraced these elements more fully. This led to the development of a highly distinctive visual language that has garnered international attention, as exemplified by the recent exhibition "Foreigners Everywhere" at the 60th Venice Biennale.