| Summary: | It took Paulo Herkenhoff, one of Brazil's most respected curators and art critics, four years to research the art and trajectory of Ascanio Maria Martins Monteiro (b. Portugal 1941, lives and work in Brazil since 1954), a professional career that spans over four decades: from his early studies of art in 1963 to his most recent painted wood and steel sculptures carved into elliptical, pyramidal and geometric structures. This major work is the outcome of this investigation and includes more than forty meetings with the artist in his workshop. Defined by Herkenhoff as "historiographical and theoretical", the book explores the relationship between the production of the noted sculptor and architecture, analyzing his role in the generation of Brazilian constructivist artists, rescuing the influences present in his artwork and revealing those elements that have pervade in his production. Includes reproductions of some of his most significant works: the installation Módulo Rio (1971-83, painted steel, 350 X 430 X 600 cm) in the front plaza of the building Argentina, in the Botafogo beach; Módulo 6.5 (1970-97, painted steel, 300 X 900 X 450cm) installed as a Monument to the Integration of the Americas, at the avenue Presidente Vargas; Piramidal 12.5 (1993-99, anodized steel, 620 X 286 X 128cm) the first public art work of the artist in Portugal, an installation along the Cortinhal, in the city of Fao; along with other works in various districts of Rio de Janeiro, such as Cosme Velho and Copacabana, in addition to the Praça da Sé and Praça da Luz in Sao Paulo, and public monuments in Lisbon and Tokyo.
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