In his brief but dazzling life – he died of tuberculosis at just 33 years of age – Ismael Nery became one of the precursors of Brazilian modernism, influenced by Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism. In Europe he came into contact with Chagall and was inspired by the metaphysics of de Chirico and the work of Picasso. His favorite themes were linked to the human figure: portraits, self-portraits and nudes that reveal a profound psychological and spiritual introspection. His subjects are elongated, cylindrical and oval in shape, suspended in dreamlike environments and unrecognizable spaces divorced from reality.
