Romero Britto Biography

Romero Britto was born in Recife, Brazil in 1963. There is an almost fairy-tale quality to his story. As a creative yet impoverished child from Brazil, Britto often painted images on scraps of cardboard and newspaper. At first, he did not understand art as a profession until his older brother brought home books about famous artists like Toulouse Lautrec.  Britto began copying the works of these masters from the books he got from his brother day after day. In the beginning, art was an outlet Britto used to escape even through his teenage years and early twenties when Romero was working toward entry into law school.  Romero has explored many media including watercolor, pen and ink, serigraphy, lithography, acrylic, and even finger paint. He had drive and passion to excel and prospered academically, but Britto was continuously pulled toward his creative roots with a determination to learn & succeed, Britto traveled from Brazil to Europe and then from Europe to the United States to exhibit and sell his art.

In 1988, Britto moved to Miami and emerged as an international artist. The following year in 1989, he was selected to add a splash of color to Absolut Vodka's "Absolut Art" campaign. This incredible opportunity catapulted Romero Britto into the limelight, placing him alongside artists such as Andy Warhol and Keith Haring. Other commissions followed including: Grand Marnier, Apple Computers, Pepsi Cola, IBM, Disney, a United Nations postage stamp series, Britto Mini Cooper for BMW, Audi, Bentley, Movado, Volvo, Campari, the Mariner of the Seas for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and most recently, BankAtlantic Florida's Most Convenient Bank and FIFA, for whom he created an official poster for the 2010 World Cup. He has also illustrated several books published by Simon & Schuster and Rizzoli. Collectors of Romero's work include Michael Jordan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Andre Agassi as well as the Guggenheims, Rothschilds, Kennedys, Mitterands and former Whitney Museum President, William Woodside. He has been featured in many articles published in Forbes, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, ARTNews, and more. Today, the heir apparent of neo-pop cubism holds an extraordinarily bright future in the palms of his talented hands.

The label ‘neo-pop cubism,’ indicates Britto's links with certain artists and antecedent styles, Pop Art was a movement that began in the mid 1950's. It combines images of popular culture taken from the mass media with art. The cubist elements in Britto's work should hardly surprise critics; few artists in modern times have escaped the long shadows cast by Picasso and Braque, Britto's individual style has emerged from these influences; while he incorporates his own style using vibrant colors, pop imagery, & playful patterns of flowers and swirls as well as an inventive use of his signature within his paintings. Vital to the essence of Britto's art is its unrestrained optimistic outlook on life. His work embodies the expressionist color patterns of the Fauves, the multi-dimensional facets of Cubism, and the reference to mass culture in Pop Art.  With clean, bold, and colorful imagery, Britto subtly delivers strong, poignant messages in a refreshing, joyful and upbeat manner.

Over the years, Britto has lent his talent and energy to many philanthropic causes. In the winter of 2004, a Britto original, Volvo V50 brought $71,500 at live auction to benefit Best Buddies International in Miami, Florida. It is a tremendous personal reward for Britto that his art is capable of inspiring others to give. Britto considers the role of an artist to be an agent of positive change. He serves as a benefactor, donating time, art and resources to over 250 charitable organizations and several boards such as Best Buddies International, and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. He was recently named a founding inaugural benefactor of Harvard's "International Negotiation Program," by Dr. Daniel Shapiro, in his quest for peaceful conflict resolution. Britto has also spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and at countless schools and institutions. In early 2011 the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, invited Britto to create the logo for Rede Cegonha, a project to reach over 61 million pre and post-natal mothers and babies.

To date, Britto's art is shown in 100 countries in over 140 galleries, including the Salon Nationale des Beaux-Arts exhibition at the Carrousel du Louvre in 2008 and 2010. He has also created public art installations for the O2 Dome (Berlin), Hyde Park (London), John F. Kennedy Airport (New York), and Cirque du Soleil at Super Bowl XLI.

Museum Acquisitions:

California Museum of Art Oakland, CA
Miami Children Museum Miami, FL 
Museu de Artes de Sao Paulo-Sao Paulo, Brazil 
The Everhardt Museum Scranton, PA 
Everson Museum Syracuse, NY 
The Museum of Contemporary Art Sao Paulo, Brazil 
The FIU Museum at the Florida International University 
Kalamazoo Institute of Art, Kalamazoo, MI 
Museo de Artes Contemporaneo Caracas, Venezuela 
Museo del Nino Caracas, Venezuela 
The Florida Museum of Hispanic and Latin American Art Miami, FL 
Kennedy Library, Tufts University Museum Boston, MA 
Miniature Museum Amsterdam, Holland 
Fine Arts Museum Long Island- Hempstead, NY 
National Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame- Palm Beach, FL 

Museum Shows:

Carrousel du Louvre, Salon Nationale des Beaux-Arts 
Sonderausstellung der Kinder-Akademie Fulda, Germany 
Louvre Museum, Salle Le Norte Paris, France 
Today Art Museum Beijing, China 
Sichuan Arts Museum Chengdu, China 
Museum of Lu Xun Art Academy Shenyang, China 
Museum of Guanghou Art Academy Guangzhou, China 
Museum of Contemporary Art/MOCA Shanghai, China 
Maison de Imerique Latine de Monaco- Monaco 
Boca Raton Museum of Art Boca Raton, FL 
Coral Springs Museum of Art Coral Springs, FL 
Fine Arts Museum of Long Island Hempstead, NY 
Florida Museum of Hispanic and Latin American Art Miami, FL 
Museo de Bellas Artes- San Juan, Puerto Rico 
Goodwill Games Museum, Lake Placid, NY 
Museu National de Belas Artes Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 
Museo da Imagem e do Som Sao Paulo, Brazil 
Officina de Arte Belo Horizonte, Brazil 
Museo de Cinco Pontas Recife, Brazil