Tunga
Antonio José de Barros Carvalho e Mello Mourão (February 8, 1952 – June 6, 2016), known professionally as Tunga, was a Brazilian sculptor and performance artist. Tunga was born in Palmares, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Also recorded as Antonio José De Barros Carvalho e Mello Mourão
Tunga
![Inhotim [outdoor] museum and botanical park Brumadinho, MG - Brasil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Inhotim_3.jpg/1024px-Inhotim_3.jpg)
Vinicius Depizzol from Vitória, Brasil · Inhotim · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Born
- 8 February 1952
- Birthplace
- Palmares, Pernambuco, Brazil
- Died
- 6 June 2016
- Place of death
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Known for
- Installation art, sculpture, performance, drawing
- Nationality
- Brazil
- Occupation
- sculptor · conceptual artist · performance artist
- Fields
- abstract art · conceptual art
- Movements
- abstract art
- Languages
- Portuguese
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Documentary summary
Antonio José de Barros Carvalho e Mello Mourão (February 8, 1952 – June 6, 2016), known professionally as Tunga, was a Brazilian sculptor and performance artist. Tunga was born in Palmares, Pernambuco, Brazil.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
getty · 500118064 · gnd · 119432587 · wikidata · Q2384568
In this article
Biography
Biography
The recorded working language is Portuguese. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are abstract art and conceptual art. Work by Tunga is recorded in the collections of Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Museum of Modern Art, Hessel Museum of Art and Pérez Art Museum Miami.

A Vanguarda Viperina (1985)
Beta Germano

Tunga, 2014 Foto Gabi Carrera
Beta Germano
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 8 February 1952 • Birthplace — Palmares, Pernambuco, Brazil • Died — 6 June 2016 • Place of death — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil • Known for — Installation art, sculpture, performance, drawing • Website — https: www.tungaoficial.com.br/en/
Career
Career
The Art Newspaper called him "One of Brazil's best-known contemporary artists." As early as he became aware of Brazilian modernism in 1970, he began his career by making sculptures and drawings. In 1974 he completed a course in architecture and urbanism at Santa Ursula University, in Rio de Janeiro. In 2005, Tunga became the first contemporary artist to exhibit his work at the Louvre in the museum's history during an installation called "A la Lumiere des Deux Mondes" ("The Meeting of Two Worlds"). One of Tunga's favorite practices was drawing, and he made his first solo show in 1974 at Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro entirely dedicated to this medium. He died in Rio de Janeiro on June 6, 2016, at the age of 64, of cancer.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1952
Tunga born at Palmares.
2016
Tunga died at Rio de Janeiro.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Palmares.
Birth place
Rio de Janeiro.
Death place
Collections (selection)
Collections (selection)
The artwork of Tunga is featured in the permanent collections of museums and institutions around the world. These include the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Pérez Art Museum Miami, Tate Modern in London, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo, Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, and the Instituto de Arte Contemporânea Inhotim in Brumadinho, which features two major pavilions permanently dedicated to his work. In Inhotim, Tunga's work has been presented alongside international artists Olafur Eliasson, Hélio Oiticica, Adriana Varejão, and Rivane Neuenschwander, among others. Some private collections also display his works, such as the V+R Sapoznik Art Collection. • Illustration — Internal view of Tunga's gallery in Inhotim, Belo Horizonte, Brazil • Illustration — View of Tunga's gallery in Inhotim, Brazil
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 119432587, Tunga.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
- Getty Union List of Artist Names 500118064, Tunga.
General reference · The Getty Research Institute
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q2384568: Tunga
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q2384568: TungaWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 119432587, Tunga.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessauthority file
Getty Union List of Artist Names 500118064, Tunga.The Getty Research Institute
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The authorities additionally record the heading Antonio José De Barros Carvalho e Mello Mourão. His recorded language was Portuguese. Works and catalogued output.
Identity and origins
Recognition and collections
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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