Biography

Rafael Cardoso was born in 1964 in Rio de Janeiro. He grew up in the United States and obtained a doctorate in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. He was a professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, among other posts, and has also worked as an independent curator with institutions such as Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, Somerset House and Museu de Arte do Rio. He has published numerous books, mainly on the history of art and design in Brazil, such as »Art and the Academy in the Nineteenth Century« (2000), »Uma introdução à história do design« (2008; tr. An introduction to the history of design), »A arte brasileira em 25 quadros (1790–1930)« (2008; tr. Brazilian art in 25 paintings) as well as »Impresso no Brasil« (2009; tr. Printed in Brazil), a richly illustrated volume highlighting the graphic arts collection in the National Library of Brazil, »Design para um mundo complexo« (2012; tr. Design for a complex world), and »Do Valongo à Favela: Imaginário e Periferia« (2015; tr. From Valongo to Favela: Imaginary and Periphery), the catalogue of an exhibition of the same name looking at representations of the favela in Brazil.

Cardoso currently lives in Berlin.