Romero Britto, Inspired Artist And Nice Guy
Meeting the Brazilian Painter In His Miami Gallery
Oct 13, 2008 Inka Piegsa-Quischotte
Britto Central, Romero Britto's gallery at 818 Lincoln Road, Miami, was ready for a vernissage of the Brazilian artist's latest work. Artworks were exhibited, appreciative guests and fans were milling around and Romero was hovering in a back room. He couldn't greet his guests yet, because he had no shoes! How he had managed to get to the gallery shoeless in the first place remained a mystery, but, such was the situation, and therefore Robert Gundel, top sales assistant and very knowledgable art expert, was hurriedly dispatched to buy a pair of shoes and, after a short delay, a broadly smiling Romero was ready to mingle with his admirers, friends and customers.
This scene, which happened last December, is typical for a very approachable artist, who is full of fun, as are his paintings and sculptures. The occasion was the exhibition of a new series of serigraphs, as of now limited to three pieces, with the theme of Egypt and the Golden Age.
In 2007 Romero Britto became even more well known because he was commissioned to create a 45 ft pyramid which was erected in London's Hyde Park. The sides of the structure are covered in scenes and paintings displaying the most famous subjects of Britto, but hundreds of children from all over the world also participated in the creation of the art. London was celebrating the return, after 35 years, of the famous treasures of Tutankhamun.
Britto's painitings and sculptures exude color and happiness. Broad black lines divide patches of vibrant greens, blues and reds, featuring flowers, children, couples, cats and many other subjects. His art combines the elements of pop art and cubism, creating the unique Britto Look, much appreciated not only by art lovers, but by companies such as Absolut Vodka, Movado, Publix and Pepsi to name just a few.
A trip to Egypt inspired Romero Britto to create the "Golden Age" serigraphs, one of which features a pyramid with a sphynx in front of it, posing as Mona Lisa and mysteriously grinning with a cat's face. He explained, that he loved cats, which are frequent subjects of his work and greatly admires Leonardo da Vinci, hence the very original combination in true Britto style.
Britto is not an aloof artist, but the ultimate Sunny Boy, who happily answered questions and posed for pictures. Much more important though, making him a really nice guy, is that the Brazilian born artist never forgets his humble roots and shares his time and money with many organisations supporting, protecting and educating children. His Britto Foundation was created for just that purpose and allows the artist's presence on the panel of many charities in support of children.
He certainly is a role model whose attitude of "giving back" hopefully will inspire a few more of the "rich and famous".
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