Rubem Valentim was born in 1922 in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. As a non-academic artist, trained as a dentist and journalist, Valentim relied on his Afro-Brazilian heritage as inspiration for his colorful geometric works. In his early career, he began to explore Brazilian colonialism, reflecting on the culture of those who were enslaved up through the 19th century. After being inspired by the Constructivist movement in Brazil in the 1950s and 60s, Valentim began producing works that referenced the symbolism of the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomlé. By reducing religious icons into geometric abstract forms, Valnetim produced vibrant works that semiotically explore the sordid history of Brazil. During this time, he also lived in Rio de Janeiro and became the assistant to Carlos Cavalanti at the Instituto de Belas Artes teaching an art history course. He then moved to Rome in 1963 after receiving a grant from the Salão Nacional de Arte Moderna. Upon returning to Brazil, he moved to Brasilía and began teaching a painting course at the Instituto de Artes da Universidade de Brasília. Rubem Valentim is represented primarily in the Americas; he has been featured internationally in a multitude of solo exhibitions including a retrospective of his work at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo in 2018. His work is held in many prestigious Latin American collections as well as at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He continued to live and work in Brazil until his death in 1991.

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