Percy Lau with his father Bruno Lau and family
From left to right. Milton da Costa, Percy Lau, Augusto Rodrigues, Djanira and Alcides da Rocha Miranda.
Illustrated map of the types and aspects of Brazil
Percy Lau
Biography
Brazilian painter, illustrator and engraver.
1903 - Percy Alfred Lau was born in the city of Arequipa in Peru on October 16. Son of Bruno Lau and Sofia Schön Lau, he had five more brothers.
1921 - He came with his family to South America, Brazil and especially Olinda (Pernambuco), due to its tropical climate, his new home, becoming Brazilian.
1933 - He set up an atelier with Augusto Rodrigues, where they made decorations, publicity, artistic signs, graduation paintings, oil portraits of ladies from the society of Pernambuco.
- He met Lula Cardoso Aires, Carlos de Holanda, Moacir de Oliveira, Hélio Feijó, Luís Soares, José Lauria, the caricaturist Mendez among others who in art and literature began to develop language inspired by the living context of his art and his medium.
- Started his drawing studies in a self-taught way, fixing the human types of Olinda, the coconut trees, the mocambos, in which he used pencils, graphite, ink and watercolor.
1936 - In Recife he fell in love with Ismênia, neighbor of his atelier, with whom he would marry a few years later.
1938 - Transferred to Rio de Janeiro.
- Worked for a year in Central do Brasil in the execution of railway models.
- He met the artists Portinari, Di Cavalcanti, Guignard, Pancetti, Djanira, Milton Dacosta, Santa Rosa, Quirino Campofiorito, Heitor dos Prazeres, among others.
- He entered the Liceu de Artes Plásticas and studied engraving with Carlos Oswald.
1939 - He returned to Recife, where he married Ismênia. He then returned to Rio de Janeiro, going to live in the neighborhood of Santa Teresa.
- In that same year, he joined the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics - IBGE
1940 - The book "Types and Aspects of Brazil", published in French, English, Spanish, Russian and Esperanto, has been published for three decades, in a total of ten editions.
1941 - His only son Frederico Lau was born. - Moved to Niterói - State of Rio de Janeiro.
1942 - Participated as jury member of the 2nd National Salon of Fine Arts, at the invitation of Oswaldo Teixeira, then director of the National Museum of Fine Arts.
1943 - Was invited to illustrate "Arraial do Tijuco - city of Diamantina", publication of the National Historical and Artistic Patrimony Service - SPHAN, Aires da Mata Machado context.
1946 - A drawing was donated to RAF (THE ROYAL BENEVOLENT FUND - London).
1949 - Attended the School of Art of Brazil where he learned woodcut with Oswald Goeldi.
1950 - At SHELL's invitation, she executed a calendar with Brazilian color themes.
1952 - He transferred from Niterói to the neighborhood of Glória, in Rio de Janeiro.
1953 - Illustrated for the newspaper "O Globo" a series of drawings denominated "Stuff Nos".
1954 - Companhia Melhoramentos de São Paulo published drawings of his own, in the form of a deck called "Quarteto: Nossa Terra - Nossa Gente". - Moved with the family to the district of Leblon.
1956 - Attended the History of Fine Arts course, organized by the School of Arts of Brazil - Rio de Janeiro.
1960 - The Audiovisual Section of the Brazilian Center for Educational Research of the Ministry of Education and Culture - MEC, produced its drawings in the form of slides.
1963 - Was awarded by the Brazilian Chamber of Books as the "Best Illustrator of the Year" by the book Santa Maria de Belém do Grão Pará by Leandro Tocantins.
1964 - Produced for the newspaper "O Estado de São Paulo", the main states of Brazil richly illustrated, named: Pocket Map.
1965 - Carried out a series of drawings called "Ancient Landscapes of Rio de Janeiro".
1967 - Retired from IBGE. - It was launched on the occasion of its 30th anniversary of the IBGE, a calendar with its illustrations.
1968 - The German Plenipotentiary invited him to an exhibition in Bonn, which unfortunately did not happen.
- Recorded by the author the engravings with a feather tip illustrating the book "Types and Aspects of Brazil", at the School of Fine Arts of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
1969 - The album "Percy Lau - his illustrations" was published by Fundação IBGE, with texts by Barbosa leite.
1972 - He passed away on January 12. - Carlos Drumond de Andrade wrote in the "Jornal do Brasil", a poem in his honor called "Perda".
1974 - Produced documentary film about his life and work, SCORPIUS / Embrafilme achievement directed by Wander Sílvio.
1975 - The book "Types and Aspects of Brazil" was relaunched in its 10th and last edition.
1978 - The "Percy Lau Street" was inaugurated in Jacarepaguá - Rio de Janeiro.
1985 - Donated by the family a design for the XXV Fair of Providence. - Petrobrás used one of its drawings, in the form of a leaflet, in favor of the flagellates of the Northeast, called "Solidariedade Já"!
1986 - One of his works was reproduced in the National Environment Week in Rio de Janeiro.
1987 - A calendar with its illustrations was published by the IBGE, on the occasion of the institution's fiftieth anniversary.
1989 - It was included in the book of "Brazilian Illustrators of Children's and Juvenile Literature" edited by the National Book Institute.
1991 - Honored with the diploma of "Honor to Merit" at the 3rd ARTEC Winter Hall in the CERJ - Niterói Gallery.
1992 - Honored by the residents of the building where he lived, in the district of Leblon, with the name of "Percy Lau Building".
1994 - One of his drawings was catalog cover of the National Library Foundation, for the Book Fair of Frankfurt - Germany.
1995 - Reproduced some of his illustrations in the form of a Christmas card.
1999 - Exhibition at Rio Gravura Exhibition. Modern Brazilian Engraving: collection National Museum of Fine Arts - Rio de Janeiro, RJ
2000 - Brazil Exhibition + 500 Rediscovery Exhibition. Body and Soul Black
2004 - Collective exhibition: The Modernist Look of JK, held in Brasilia.
2006 - Collective exhibition: The Modernist Look of JK, held in São Paulo.
2013 - Individual exhibition: Brazil from point to point, held at the Tijuca Country Club in the state of Rio de Janeiro.