Raphael Fonseca was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and lives in Denver, United States. He is the head of the Department of Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art at the Denver Art Museum, where he has worked since 2021.
He is the chief curator of the 14th Mercosul Biennial, which opened in March 2025. He is part of the curatorial group for the 3rd Counterpublic Triennial, to be held in St. Louis, United States, in 2026.
In 2023 and 2024, ArtReview magazine included him among the 100 most influential people in the visual arts globally.
[raphaelfonseca@gmail.com]
[entrevistas aqui e ali]
[críticas publicadas sobre alguns projetos]
He is a researcher at the intersection of curatorship, art history, criticism, and education. He holds a PhD in Art History and Criticism from UERJ, a Master's degree in Art History from UNICAMP, and a degree in Art History from UERJ.
He received a grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the exhibition "Who Tells a Tale, adds a Tail" (Denver Art Museum, 2022). He received support from the Teiger Foundation (2023) in the United States for research on Roberto Gil de Montes, which will materialize in an exhibition co-curated by Rita González, between LACMA and the Denver Art Museum in 2027.
Resident curator at the Institute Contemporary Arts Singapore (2019) and the Manchester School of Art (2016).
Juror of the Atlantic Film (Portugal, 2025), the Nohl Fellowship (Milwaukee, 2024), the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (Miami, 2024), the Charlotte Street Visual Artists Award 2023 (Kansas City), the Toby's Prize 2023, the MOCA Cleveland and the Pérez Prize 2023 (Peréz Art Museum, Miami). Member of the curatorial selection committee of the Videobrasil Biennial (2019 and 2022). Juror of the Pipa Prize (Brazil, 2019) and the Mariano Aguilera Prize (Quito, Ecuador, 2017). Member of the Pipa Prize nominating committee (2018, 2020, 2021 and 2023). Member of the selection committee for the 2nd Mabri Salon (Britania, 2020) and the SESC RJ Culture Call for Proposals 2022/23.
Invited author for the 60th Venice Biennale (2024) catalog and the 32nd São Paulo Biennale (2016).
Among his projects, highlights include "Fullgás: visual arts and the 1980s in Brazil" (Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro, 2024); "Sandra Vásquez de La Horra: the awaken volcanoes" (Denver Art Museum, United States, 2024); "Memory is an editing island" (22nd SESC_Videobrasil Biennial, São Paulo, 2023, co-curated by Renée Akitelek Mboya); "Botar fé" (8th Bolsa Pampulha, Brazil, co-curated by Amanda Carneiro, 2022); "Who tells a tale adds a tail" (Denver Art Museum, USA, 2022); "The silence of tired tongues" (Framer Framed, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2022); "Raio-que-o-parta: fictions of the modern in Brazil" (SESC 24 de Maio, São Paulo, 2022); "Garganta" (Centro Internacional de Arte José de Guimarães, Guimarães, Portugal, 2022); "Sweat" (Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany, co-curated by Anna Schneider, 2021); "Vaivém" (CCBB SP, DF, RJ and MG, 2019-2020); "Lost and found" (ICA Singapore, 2019); "Life is always reborn - Sonia Gomes" (MAC Niterói, 2018); "Regina Vater – Hopefully the weather will be good" (MAC Niterói, 2017); "Bestiário" (Centro Cultural São Paulo, 2017); "Dura lex sed lex" (Centro Cultural Parque de España, Rosario, Argentina, co-curated by Juliana Gontijo, 2017); "Reply all" (Grosvenor Gallery, Manchester, England, 2016); "Deslize" (Museu de Arte do Rio, 2014); "Água mole, pedra duro" (1a Bienal do Barro, Caruaru, 2014) and "City as a process" (Ural Federal University, II Ural Industrial Biennial, Yekaterinburg, Russia, 2012).
He has worked with artists on various residency projects, such as the 8th Bolsa Pampulha (Belo Horizonte, 2022, with Amanda Carneiro), Trampolim (Goiânia, 2018) and Panapaná (João Pessoa, 2018). He also worked as a tutor for curator Ania Freer in a residency program for curators and writers organized by NLS Kingston (Jamaica, 2019).
He has published texts in books, catalogs, and specialized journals, such as ArtNexus, Terremoto!, ArtReview, and Folha de São Paulo.
He is the chief curator of the 14th Mercosul Biennial, which opened in March 2025. He is part of the curatorial group for the 3rd Counterpublic Triennial, to be held in St. Louis, United States, in 2026.
In 2023 and 2024, ArtReview magazine included him among the 100 most influential people in the visual arts globally.
[raphaelfonseca@gmail.com]
[entrevistas aqui e ali]
[críticas publicadas sobre alguns projetos]
He is a researcher at the intersection of curatorship, art history, criticism, and education. He holds a PhD in Art History and Criticism from UERJ, a Master's degree in Art History from UNICAMP, and a degree in Art History from UERJ.
He received a grant from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the exhibition "Who Tells a Tale, adds a Tail" (Denver Art Museum, 2022). He received support from the Teiger Foundation (2023) in the United States for research on Roberto Gil de Montes, which will materialize in an exhibition co-curated by Rita González, between LACMA and the Denver Art Museum in 2027.
Resident curator at the Institute Contemporary Arts Singapore (2019) and the Manchester School of Art (2016).
Juror of the Atlantic Film (Portugal, 2025), the Nohl Fellowship (Milwaukee, 2024), the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (Miami, 2024), the Charlotte Street Visual Artists Award 2023 (Kansas City), the Toby's Prize 2023, the MOCA Cleveland and the Pérez Prize 2023 (Peréz Art Museum, Miami). Member of the curatorial selection committee of the Videobrasil Biennial (2019 and 2022). Juror of the Pipa Prize (Brazil, 2019) and the Mariano Aguilera Prize (Quito, Ecuador, 2017). Member of the Pipa Prize nominating committee (2018, 2020, 2021 and 2023). Member of the selection committee for the 2nd Mabri Salon (Britania, 2020) and the SESC RJ Culture Call for Proposals 2022/23.
Invited author for the 60th Venice Biennale (2024) catalog and the 32nd São Paulo Biennale (2016).
Among his projects, highlights include "Fullgás: visual arts and the 1980s in Brazil" (Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janeiro, 2024); "Sandra Vásquez de La Horra: the awaken volcanoes" (Denver Art Museum, United States, 2024); "Memory is an editing island" (22nd SESC_Videobrasil Biennial, São Paulo, 2023, co-curated by Renée Akitelek Mboya); "Botar fé" (8th Bolsa Pampulha, Brazil, co-curated by Amanda Carneiro, 2022); "Who tells a tale adds a tail" (Denver Art Museum, USA, 2022); "The silence of tired tongues" (Framer Framed, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2022); "Raio-que-o-parta: fictions of the modern in Brazil" (SESC 24 de Maio, São Paulo, 2022); "Garganta" (Centro Internacional de Arte José de Guimarães, Guimarães, Portugal, 2022); "Sweat" (Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany, co-curated by Anna Schneider, 2021); "Vaivém" (CCBB SP, DF, RJ and MG, 2019-2020); "Lost and found" (ICA Singapore, 2019); "Life is always reborn - Sonia Gomes" (MAC Niterói, 2018); "Regina Vater – Hopefully the weather will be good" (MAC Niterói, 2017); "Bestiário" (Centro Cultural São Paulo, 2017); "Dura lex sed lex" (Centro Cultural Parque de España, Rosario, Argentina, co-curated by Juliana Gontijo, 2017); "Reply all" (Grosvenor Gallery, Manchester, England, 2016); "Deslize" (Museu de Arte do Rio, 2014); "Água mole, pedra duro" (1a Bienal do Barro, Caruaru, 2014) and "City as a process" (Ural Federal University, II Ural Industrial Biennial, Yekaterinburg, Russia, 2012).
He has worked with artists on various residency projects, such as the 8th Bolsa Pampulha (Belo Horizonte, 2022, with Amanda Carneiro), Trampolim (Goiânia, 2018) and Panapaná (João Pessoa, 2018). He also worked as a tutor for curator Ania Freer in a residency program for curators and writers organized by NLS Kingston (Jamaica, 2019).
He has published texts in books, catalogs, and specialized journals, such as ArtNexus, Terremoto!, ArtReview, and Folha de São Paulo.