Sobras is Geraldo de Barros’s most intimate series. Working from his family archives, he cut and glued old photographs into a black-and-white world. This became his last and most personal body of work, made after a series of strokes led him back to photography at the end of the 1990s, revisiting his archive with the help of an assistant. De Barros (1923–98) is one of the major figures of the Brazilian artistic scene in the second half of the 20th century: an inventive and experimental artist whose diverse practice included painting, photography, and design, and who was one of the founding members of concrete art in São Paulo.

The book Sobras, published by Chose Commune in 2017, is the first international publication devoted to this work, sitting somewhere between a historical tribute and an artist’s book. Vanessa Barbara, a young Brazilian writer, complements de Barros’s last photographs with a quirky short story inspired by his striking world, in which pitch blacks contrast with the dazzling white snow of his winter memories. Concept and editing are by Cécile Poimboeuf-Koizumi and Vasantha Yogananthan; design is by Atelier Pentagon (Vanessa Goetz and Guillaume Allard).

Born in 1923 in Chavantes, São Paulo, and trained initially in economics before beginning his study of art in the mid-1940s, de Barros was one of the leading figures of the Brazilian avant-garde. He was a curious artist with a passion for experimentation, and his work was highly diverse. He died in 1998. Sobras was awarded the Prix Nadar 2017 and was shortlisted for the Arles Historical Book Award 2017.

This first edition is a section-sewn debossed hardcover with tips, 124 pages, 65 plates, and measures 23 by 33 cm. The publication appears in English, French, and Portuguese, and its publication date was 18 April 2017.