MARIANNE PERETTI
"Pássaro” (Bird), undated, installed at Usina de Arte in 2023 Sculpture in white-n metal and blue glass. 2.00 m (height) x 1.13 m (wingspan).
With its abstract silhouette and soft contours, "Bird" is an emblematic sculpture by Marianne Peretti, an artist whose work straddles the spiritual and the architectural. Composed of white metallic volumes and a blue glassy detail that evokes the bird's eye, the piece balances on a geometric base and a symbolic egg—a primordial form that evokes birth, the cycle of life, and creation.
Set within the botanical garden's landscape, the work establishes a harmonious dialogue with nature, suggesting flight, freedom, and contemplation. The purity of the forms and the softness of the materials contrast with the solidity of the support, creating a light and poetic presence in the space.
This sculpture condenses recurring elements in the artist's career: the use of archetypal symbols, the fusion between matter and light, and the sensitive integration of art into the environment.
Marianne Peretti
Born in Paris, France, 1927
Died in Recife, Brazil, 2022
Painter, sculptor, and draftsman. She collaborated with Oscar Niemeyer on many of his art-architecture projects. She completed her early art studies at the School of Decorative Arts and the Academie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris. Her drawings illustrated books such as Dore Ogrizec's La Grèce and the Almanach de Saint-Germain-des-Prés. She moved to Brazil in 1953, residing in São Paulo. She dedicated herself to creating stained glass windows, sculptures, and reliefs for public buildings and private residences. Her works were featured in the following Oscar Niemeyer buildings: the Chamber of Deputies, the Federal Senate, the Jaburu Palace, the Juscelino Kubitschek Memorial, the National Theater, the Brasília Cathedral, and the Superior Court of Justice, all in Brasília; the headquarters of Manchete magazine in Rio de Janeiro; the Burgo Building in Turin, Italy; and at the Maison de la Culture du Havre, in France.
