ROMERO BRITTO

'Romero Britto' is a Brazilian neo-pop artist, painter, serigrapher, and sculptor. He combines elements of cubism, pop art and graffiti painting in his work, which is defined by vibrant color and optimistic subjects. In recent years, Britto has been considered one of the most famous pop artists of his generation.

Contents

Life background

Career and popularity

Inspiration

Main Works

Works on display

External links

Life background

Britto was born in Recife, one of the biggest cities of Brazil, on October 6, 1963. He was the eighth of nine children in his family. He began painting as a child, and continued to paint as he served in the Brazilian army and studied law. Britto realized that he appreciated art more than he did law, and saved money to begin travelling the world. Britto showed his art in much of western Europe. As he finished things in Europe, a friend invited him to Miami.

Career and popularity

Once settled in Miami, Britto worked in Coconut Grove, where he gained much popularity and appreciation by the community. Through the past seventeen years, Romero Britto's reputation as one of the most famous pop artists of his generation has been firmly established. Today he is collected by, and has done portraits of, Roger Federer, Dustin Hoffman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Jordan, Gloria Estefan, Andre Agassi, Eileen Guggenheim, David Rockefeller, and Senator Ted Kennedy, as well as dozens of other societal, political and entertainment figures.
Britto has been a fixture on the international art scene since 1989, when he was commissioned by Absolut Vodka, along with Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf and Andy Warhol, to design a bottle label for a company advertising campaign. Following on the heels of Absolut, Britto's whimsical pop art is consistently commissioned by major corporations for large-scale murals, sculptures and product logos around the world. He has recently been requested for commissions by companies such as Disney, Evian, and Volvo.
In December 2005, Britto joined the international short list of artists selected to participate in the Florence Biennale and will do so again in 2006. He has been named the state of Florida's Ambassador of the Arts. In 2004, his 'Welcome' sculpture, the world's largest aluminum sculpture, was erected at Dadeland station in Miami.
Romero's commissioned monumental sculpture this year commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Montreux Jazz Festival. Britto's portrait of legendary art dealer and the founder of Art Basel, Ernst Beyeler, now hangs at Fondation Beyeler, the Swiss museum that also houses the works of Klee, Cézanne, Picasso, Monet, Matisse and Giacometti.
Britto's artwork has appeared in numerous publications worldwide, including New York Times Magazine and Art in America. Britto's designs are not limited to canvas; he has designed company logos, furniture and costumes. Most recently he designed the costumes for the 41st Super Bowl.

Inspiration

Britto's concern for the youth of the world, combined with social and political causes, is of great inspiration. He is committed to fundraising projects such as Amnesty International, the American Cancer Society, and St. Jude Hospital. 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.

Main Works

Company commissions:

★ The Earth Train Grand Marnier

★ BMW

★ Pepsi

★ Royal Caribbean

★ Swiss Bank

★ Apple Computers

★ IBM

★ Absolut Vodka Logo Design

★ Disney

★ Volvo Car Design

★ Hurricane Katrine Logo Advertising
★

Works on display

In the United States, Europe and Japan

★ ''The Mariner of the Seas'' Royal Caribbean

★ ''Art Festival'' Coconut Grove

★ ''Absolut Vodka'' Billboard, US 1, Interstate Highway, Miami

★ ''Bean Man'' Governor's Mansion, Tallahassee

★ ''California Gold'' California Winery Associates California

★ ''The Nurse'' American Red Cross Headquarters, Washington

★ ''Welcome'' Monumental Sculpture for Dadeland North Station, Miami

★ ''Confetti'' Mayfair Galleria Mall, Coconut Grove, Florida

★ ''Miami Beach Romance'' Il Villagio 300 ft. Mural, Ocean Drive, Miami Beach

★ ''In the Air'' US AIR Frequent Flyer's Club, Palm Beach

★ ''Paradise'' City of Miami Beach, City Hall

★ ''The Ultimate Kid'' Strong Memorial Hospital New York

★ ''Kiss & London Teen'' Grove Isle Yacht & Tennis Club, Coconut Grove

★ ''Michel Roux'' Carillon Importers Headquarters,Teaneck

★ ''Growing as a Child'' St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, Philadelphia

★ ''Commissions for Absolut Vodka'' Carillon Importers Headquarters, New Jersey

★ ''Swiss Bank'' New York

★ ''Star Art'' Star Art Foundation, Coral Gables, Florida

★ ''Our Guardian Angel'' Jackson Memorial Hospital mural Miami, Florida

★ ''Soldier of Peace'' The White House, Washington

★ ''Mural'' Miami Children's Museum, Miami

★ ''Rocky'' Benihana Corporation Headquarters, Japan

★ ''One People--One Planet'' The Tae Jon International Exposition, Korea

★ ''Medallion'' Swedish Wine & Spirits Corp. Sweden

★ ''Absolut Britto II'', ABSOLUT Vodka Headquarters, Stockholm, Sweden

★ ''Dance of Hearts'' Ormond Street Children's Hospital, England

★ ''Britto Bus of Braunschweig'' Miami

★ ''Stations of the Cross'' St. Dennis Church, Tourtour, France

★ ''Mural'' Pernambuco Catholic University, Recife, Brazil

★ ''Monalisa'' Miami

★ Super Bowl 2007 Design

External links

★ Official Romero Britto web page

★ Official Romero Britto Brazilian web page