The Fundação Bienal de São Paulo has interviewed Alberto Svevo, son of Wanda Svevo, founder of the Arquivo Histórico Wanda Svevo, to put together a profile of his mother’s life.

A key figure in São Paulo’s cultural scene, Wanda was secretary general of the Bienal de São Paulo from 1951 to 1962, when she died prematurely in a Varig plane crash in 1962. She was mourned in the lobby of the Bienal Pavilion itself, a tribute to her tireless dedication to art.

Wanda Matijevic Schmitz was born in Trieste, in northeastern Italy, on January 11, 1921. In her hometown, she married Mario Schmitz Svevo. Under the Mussolini dictatorship, one of her husband’s uncles – Italo Svevo, author of “The Conscience of Zeno” and friend of Irish writer James Joyce –adopted the surname Svevo as a pseudonym, and the family started using it. 

During the Second World War, Wanda immigrated to Brazil, arriving in November 1940. She worked at the Galeria Ambiente, in Rua Martins Fontes, and at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) when it was still located in Rua Sete de Abril. Immersed in the art world, she always found it natural to work there. 

At the Bienal, Wanda organized various aspects of the exhibition, from assembly to contacting embassies for national representations. One of her most demanding tasks was organizing the exhibition catalog. 

A polyglot, she spoke nine languages, including Russian, which her son also learned from his mother. Wanda took on the roles of diplomat, mediator and educator. Once, when she took Alberto to an exhibition of Egyptian objects, she gathered a small crowd when she explained the works, an experience that caused him some embarrassment, but also admiration for the important figure in the visual arts.

After his mother’s death, Alberto didn’t visit the Archive for many years. He returned only once over the years, although he continued to attend the Bienal. Happy with the reunion, he commented on Wanda’s legacy: “It’s not an archive that’s finished. It’s alive, developing, and that makes me very happy.”

The Arquivo Histórico Wanda Svevo, founded by Wanda in 1955, is one of the most important repositories of modern and contemporary art in Latin America. With over a million documents, including catalogs, photographs, correspondence and artists’ dossiers, the archive preserves the memory of the Bienal de São Paulo and related institutions. The Archive was renamed in honor of Wanda Svevo after 1963, before which it was called Historical Archives of Contemporary Art.

In 1993, the Archive was listed by the Conselho de Defesa do Patrimônio Histórico, Arqueológico, Artístico e Turístico (Condephaat) as a cultural asset of historical interest, due to the relevance of its contents.

Wanda Svevo’s dedication to preserving art history and her contribution to Brazilian culture live on through this archive, which continues to be an inexhaustible source of research and inspiration for future generations.

This text is part of a series dedicated to the Arquivo Histórico Wanda Svevo, which turns 70 in 2025. All the images in this series are illustrated by photos kept in the Bienal Archive. Take the opportunity to visit the Archive’s website and its database, which is always open to the public and will soon be translated to English. The initiative is supported by Promac.