Writers, architects, artists and other personalities from São Paulo played important roles in the history of their times. Here are some women from São Paulo who have made a mark on the city’s history.
So, how about taking advantage of the fact that we’re in the week of International Women’s Day to learn about the trajectory of those who were remarkable in their fields?
Meet some of the women from São Paulo who have left their mark on history
Laerte
Laerte Coutinho, or just Laerte, is one of the most important and influential cartoonists and cartoonists in Brazil. Born in São Paulo in 1951, she is the author of several famous comics, such as “Piratas do Tietê”.
In her work, she makes pointed criticisms of contemporary life, always with a touch of humor. In addition, in 2012, she founded the Brazilian Transgender Association (Abrat), innovating and promoting conversation and debate around the issue of transgenderism.
Lygia Fagundes Telles
Lygia Fagundes Telles is a writer, novelist and short story writer from São Paulo. She is the great representative of the postmodern movement in Brazil and a member of the Paulista Academy of Letters, the Brazilian Academy of Letters and the Lisbon Academy of Sciences.
Lygia Fagundes Telles’ style is characterized by its depiction of the urban universe and its intimate exploration of female psychology.
Maria Esther Bueno
An established name in Brazilian tennis, Maria Esther Bueno was the first woman to win the doubles title in the four most important tournaments in the world.
Born in the city of São Paulo, she started practicing tennis at a very young age and won her first tournament at the age of 12. By the age of 14, she was national champion. She won several titles and broke records during her career, and in 2012 she received one last accolade: in a list of the best tennis players in history, Tennis Channel ranked her 38th.
Anita Malfatti
Painter, designer and teacher, Anita Malfatti was one of the great names of the Brazilian modernist avant-garde.
In 1922 she took part in the Modern Art Week, always questioning the status quo and shocking with her famous works, such as “A Boba”.
In 1928 he began teaching drawing at Mackenzie University and then at home. He was born in the city of São Paulo on December 2, 1889. He died in the same city on November 6, 1964.
Maria Lenk
The São Paulo native is the greatest Brazilian swimmer of all time. She was the first South American woman to take part in an Olympic Games, in Los Angeles in 1932, and also the first person born in Brazil to become a world record holder in the sport. Her life in sport began early and unexpectedly.
With numerous respiratory problems, she received a doctor’s recommendation to swim as a form of treatment. Encouraged by her father, she began training in the River Tietê, next to her home. She dedicated her whole life to swimming and put her name down in the history of the sport and the city of São Paulo.
Pagu
Patrícia Rehder Galvão, better known as Pagu, was born in São Paulo in 1910. A writer, journalist, translator and draughtswoman, she was one of the great women of the Brazilian modernist movement, even though she did not take an active part in the Modern Week of 1922.
A Communist Party activist, Pagu was also part of the anthropophagic movement of the time, alongside her husband Oswald de Andrade. She fought for labor rights and wrote several essays and books, some under the pseudonym Mara Lobo. She lived in Liberdade, Brás, Aclimação and Bela Vista, spending her last days on the coast, in the city of Santos.
Tomie Ohtake
Renowned artist Tomie Ohtake was born in Japan but became a naturalized Brazilian, or rather, a native of São Paulo. With a career spanning more than fifty years, Tomie has always had a love affair with the city. She lived for a long time in Mooca, more precisely in Rua da Paz, where she also had her studio.
Winner of several awards and author of famous works and installations, she was considered the “lady of Brazilian plastic arts”. Paulistanos can always remember her relationship with São Paulo by visiting the Tomie Ohtake Institute, which opened in the city in 2001.
Lina Bo Bardi
Achillina Bo, better known as Lina Bo Bardi, was an Italian-Brazilian modernist architect who marked the city with her works. Lina studied at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Rome in the 1930s and moved to Brazil after marrying journalist and art critic Pietro Maria Bardi.
In São Paulo, she left landmark buildings such as MASP and Sesc Pompéia, projects that have become postcards of the capital.
