A full-blown artist, the press and the Guiomar Novaes’ reputation

Abstract

In the 1920s Guiomar Novaes (1894-1979) had a unique position in the Brazilian artistic world, a position maintained throughout his life but that did not guarantee the security of her personal archive. This paper briefly relates the fragmentation and threats suffered by the pianist’s collection to
the gender distinctions that exist between interpreters and composers that existed (and stil exists) in the so-called classical music. The press coverage of recitals conducted between 1913 and 1914 is used to investigate the creation of the pianist’s reputation as an artist. Becker’s concept (1982) of the art world revealed the role of newspapers and magazines in mobilizing expectations and affections in the public of São Paulo and Brazil, and thereby collaborating to make her a national symbol.