ROMERO BRITTO - From Recife (and Miami)

Born to a poor family in Recife, Brazil in 1963, Romero Britto's unique vision and talent have
brought him international recognition. His colorful, mixed-media compositions appear in
public and private collections across the globe. Of his art, Britto says: "As a child growing
up poor in Brazil, I was introduced to the darker side of humankind. The result was, I
started painting to bring light and color into my life. "I know that there are still terrible
things happening around the globe. I do not want to repeat what I see on the front page
in my art.... I was born to paint life in a different way, rejoicing in the beauty our world
has to offer. The world I paint is an explosion of positive optimism, and happiness that
so many of us are looking for these days."

Now based in the United States, Romero Britto combines elements of cubism, pop art and
graffiti painting in his work. The success of his nearly decade-long association as a
showcase artist with Absolut Vodka’s world-wide advertising campaign (which also included
Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf) acted as an important catalyst to his career.
His work has appeared in numerous publications in the United States and internationally,
including Art in America, the New York Times Magazine and Arts & Antiques.
From the Garden

He has exhibited widely, particularly in the USA, Europe and Japan, and has worked on commissions for Grand Marnier, Pepsi - Cola and the Swiss Bank, New York, amongst many others. His work has been collected by celebrities such as Whitney Houston, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Jordan as well as by John F. Kennedy Jr. and the late François Mitterand, and now me (the one above is mine).

In Britto’s highly energetic paintings and silk-screens the vibrant and bold, sub-tropical colours are separated and accentuated by thick black lines. With satire and humour, Britto provides evidence of a close affinity to Warhol and Lichtenstein. By controlled repetition of certain themes, Britto’s work provides a vista upon the central concerns of his own life. Born in Recife, a mostly poor, agriculturally based city in Brazil, Britto sees art as a vehicle for carrying messages of joy and the celebration of life, counteracting the desolate environments of poverty, pain and sickness.

Marked by his experiences amongst the Brazilian poor, Britto's continuing concern for the suffering has made him a generous donor to numerous charitable causes. He has produced a major mural with the children of St. Christopher’s Hospital in Philadelphia, USA, as well as supporting Amnesty International, the Red Cross, the American Cancer Society and others together with fundraising events for AIDS and the maintenance of the rainforest in Brazil. He decorated the inaugural Earth Train USA in 1992, which carried 200 youth leaders, celebrities and environmental experts on a 12-day trip from Los Angeles to New York and Washington D.C..