Vik Muniz’s series Verso [Back Side] explores the lesser-known aspect of iconic paintings in the history of art –– their backs. Muniz uses existing cultural images, imbuing them with new meanings through the materials, forms and scales employed in their creation. Over the course of six years, the artist collaborated with curators and restorers in various museums to record and study the stretchers, frames, loan labels, stamps, imperfections and signs of wear and tear found on the reverse side of select artworks. With the assistance of joiners, restorers and reproduction specialists, Muniz meticulously reproduced the back of these paintings on a 1:1 scale, creating perfect replicas of the originals. The works in the Verso series are displayed on the floor, leaning against the wall, as if they are awaiting installation in an exhibition. In the case of MASP, Muniz reproduced the back side of A estudante [The Student] by Anita Malfatti (1889–1964), an iconic Brazilian modernist painting that is part of the museum’s collection. Muniz also engages in dialogue with the glass easels designed by Lina Bo Bardi, the Italian-Brazilian architect responsible for the museum’s design. The easels are used to hang paintings from glass panels supported by concrete bases, instead of displaying them directly on the wall. Both Muniz’s work and the glass easels reveal the hidden side of artworks: their histories and marks of time recorded on their backs.

— Leandro Muniz, assistent curator, MASP, 2023

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