A Gentil Carioca is a contemporary art gallery founded on September 6, 2003, by 3 artists – Márcio Botner, Ernesto Neto & Laura Lima – a unique initiative in Brazil. The gallery is directed by Márcio Botner and Elsa Ravazzolo Botner, who is also a partner. Its main objective is to make the gallery a place to think, produce, experiment, celebrate and commercialize art.
Located in the Historic Center of Rio de Janeiro, more specifically in the region called Saara, a place founded in the last century by Arab and Jewish immigrants, also known as the largest open market in Latin America. Its surroundings are abounded with all kinds of trinkets and spices, a fundamental attraction for many artists and curious people. It is in two of these stores, townhouses from the 1920s united by a crossroads, that Gentil has its presence.
In 2021, A Gentil Carioca expands its essence with a new exhibition space in the Central Zone of São Paulo. Located in a charming house in Higienópolis, the space affirms the desire to provide artists with active exchanges in this multicultural and global city. The inaugural collective Bum-bum Paticumbum Prugurundum on August 7, 2021, announces its arrival, with an unmistakable program.
Gentil is born mixed, to capture and spread the diversity of art in Brazil and around the world. We believe that each work of art is a cultural melting pot with the power to radiate culture and education. Our addresses become a place of concentration and diffusion of the voice of different artists and ideas. The initiative also advocates on expanding the potential field of action of art by stimulating a network of collectors and art lovers in general.
