A pioneer in integrating art and the environment, Frans Krajcberg (1921–2017) was a key figure in 20th-century art. His interest in nature, which would become his working space, unfolded into his ecological activism. Of Jewish origin, Krajcberg was born in Kozienice, Poland, and lost his family during the Second World War. The trauma led him to leave his native country and arrive in Brazil in 1949—he became a Brazilian citizen in 1957. Between periods in Europe, he moved to the southern coast of Bahia in the 1970s, to his Sítio Natura in Nova Viçosa, in the heart of the Atlantic Forest. Krajcberg’s ecological awareness intensified as he traveled through the various biomes of Brazil, expanding the material possibilities of his work. In the Amazon region, he witnessed fires and the horror of environmental devastation. From then on, the logs and other debris he collected in these places became key elements of his work.

Over more than six decades, Krajcberg has built a unique body of work, with sculptural and pictorial formal rigor, both three-dimensional and two-dimensional, working with remnants of logs, vines, roots, and wood, and articulating art, nature, and activism. Frans Krajcberg: Rediscovering the Tree is the first exhibition devoted to the artist at MASP and is divided into seven sections, covering more than five decades of his production, including his paintings, earth and stone tableaux, engravings, reliefs, blooms, shadows, and sculptures. 

The subtitle of the show is taken from a quote from the artist in a conversation with critic Pierre Restany (1930–2003) and artist Sepp Baendereck (1920–1988) during a trip to the Amazon in 1978, which resulted in the publication of the Manifesto do Rio Negro, proposing a new relationship between art and nature: “If Mondrian went from trees to squares, he only took advantage of one of the possibilities of trees. Now we must break the square to rediscover the tree.” 

By expressing his indignation and revolt, Krajcberg played a central role in denouncing the environmental drama experienced in Brazil. The artist devoted himself entirely to nature, producing a body of work that is increasingly relevant in the context of the climate crisis we are currently experience.

Frans Krajcberg: Rediscovering the Tree is curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Artistic Director, and Laura Cosendey, Assistant Curator. The exhibition is part of the year devoted to Histories of Ecology, which includes solo shows by Abel Rodríguez, Clarissa Tossin, Claude Monet, Hulda Guzmán, Minerva Cuevas, Mulheres Atingidas por Barragens, Taniki Yanomami, as well as the group exhibition Histories of Ecology and shows in the Video Room by Emilija Škarnulytė, Inuk Silis Høegh, Janaina Wagner, Maya Watanabe, Tania Ximena, and Vídeo nas Aldeias.

Since 2019, MASP has had a sustainability workgroup and has developed actions such as decarbonization, the purchase of renewable energy, and a waste management program. In 2025, these initiatives will be added to the Histories of Ecology program. The new Pietro Maria Bardi building also incorporates sustainable solutions and has achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.