BEATRIZ MILHAZES | TROPICAL SUMMER

Beatriz Milhazes is a Brazilian artist best known for her vibrantly colored, kaleidoscopic collages. By merging color harmonies and geometric abstraction, she represents both indigenous Brazilian and Modernist European traditions in her works. Milhazes’ love for painting and her unique technique retain an organic feel in her geometric, arabesque, and floral patterns. 

Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1960, Milhazes was raised by a well-respected lawyer and an art historian. Milhazes initially pursued journalism and communications at the Faculdades Integradas Hélio Alonso University in 1978, but two years later switched her focus to study fine arts at the Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage.

Since the 1990’s, Milhazes has embraced a distinctive method of collaging paint, which still remains her signature technique. First, she paints a vibrant, abstract, and intricate pattern onto a transparent sheet of paper. While the paint is still wet, she adheres the sheet of paper onto the canvas and then peels it off, leaving a layer of paint imprinted on the canvas. Milhazes repeats this process numerous times, creating multi-layered yet flat works of art that seem to be merging together with time. With their balance and harmony, combined with the technicolor palette, her work reveals the influence of Matisse, Kandinsky, and Mondrian.

Milhazes had her first major exhibition at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, England, in 2001. Two years later, in 2003, she represented Brazil at the Venice Biennale. Her works have been included in various prestigious international collections, including The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, and more. In addition, Milhazes has created several public art projects including Peace and Love (2005-06), in London, Maracolouco (2008), in Tokyo, and Bailinho (2008), in São Paolo.

Milhazes currently lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.