Milhazes.
Beatriz Milhazes *1960 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Lives and works in Rio de Janeiro.
Milhazes, acclaimed as “Brazil’s most successful contemporary painter,” is a renowned collage artist and painter. Her artworks are characterized by vibrant colors, optical movement, and energetic visual cadences. They challenge viewers with their complexity rather than offering mere aesthetic appeal. In her abstract creations, Milhazes skillfully blends diverse imagery and forms, juxtaposing Brazilian cultural imagery and references to western Modernist painting. Employing a unique technique, she paints on plastic sheets, peels away dried shapes, and then collages them onto canvas. Her artistic vision draws from on a wide range of aesthetic traditions, including folk and decorative art, European modernism, and the Antropofogia movement. The movement, which began in the late 1920s, proposed blending European traditions with Brazilian culture to create something uniquely Brazilian. Milhazes’ global impact is evident through her numerous international solo exhibitions. Her artworks are prominently featured in the permanent collections of esteemed museums worldwide, including the MoMA – Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2021 she was invited by museum in progress to design the “Iron Curtain” at the Vienna State Opera. This occasion also led to the creation of the edition “Pink Sunshine” in collaboration with Zein Editions.