scholars silvio romero and euclidies da cunha were among the first to catalog and popularize the folk arts, as a unique and valuable expression of the new, mixed culture that was growing in the lands surrounding guanabara bay.

after falling out of favor around the turn of the 20th century, the modernist movement - bookended by the establishment of the universities of são paulo and rio de janeiro (in 1934 and 1935 respectively) - brought folk art and artisanal production back to the forefront of popular imagination.

folk art was viewed as a uniquely brazilian expression, the product of a culture with its own values, standards of taste and refinements, different from those of europe.