Romero Britto (Photo by Sergey Bermeniev)
Born in Recife, Brazil, but raised in Miami, Romero Britto is an internationally acclaimed artist, known for his color-drenched paintings. At an early age, he began his artistic career by painting on scraps of newspaper; he later rose to worldwide fame by creating vibrant bottles for Absolut Vodka’s ”Absolut Art” campaign. His signature style can be seen on ceramic sculptures and paintings, but also through his many corporate collaborations, like custom Coca-Cola bottles commemorating the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, or when he outfitted Barbie in a custom Romero Britto ensemble for Mattel and even when he painted an Audi. His work is eclectic, from a giant pyramid sculpture in London’s Hyde Park to huge inflatable animals for the Super Bowl XLI pregame show. Through it all, Britto remains committed to charity work, donating his time and artwork to more than 250 organizations.
Richmond magazine: How do you describe your artwork style?
Romero Britto: I describe it as being happy and direct and colorful.
RM: Your pieces exude so much color; why is that?
Britto: It definitely is a way of me expressing myself, and my hope is that every time I create a piece of art, I can share it with the world and I can bring a smile on somebody else’s face or heart and then I’ll feel really good about it. That’s my purpose in life, and it’s why I became an artist and I’ve been working on [my art] so long, and it definitely makes me happy and feel good about coming to work, because I like what I do.
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Romero Britto, outfitted in Dolce and Gabanna, stands before his work. (Photo courtesy Relevant Communications LLC)
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"GREEN EYES" by Romero Britto (©Romero Britto 2016, photo courtesy the artist)
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"IN LOVE" by Romero Britto (©Romero Britto 2016, photo courtesy the artist)
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"ALIVE AGAIN" by Romero Britto (©Romero Britto 2016, photo courtesy the artist)
RM: You create ceramics and sculptures in addition to paintings. Is there a medium that you enjoy working with more?
Britto: I love the idea of creating sculptures to be in public areas, because then more people can enjoy them without having to pay for it. But it’s a little bit more of a challenge, because I also need to get someone or a company or a corporation that would commission me. … I love doing sculptures in the public area, but the public area is a little more challenging because of that. There’s a good side of [creating public sculptures, but the downside] is like being commissioned to create a building: Every time an architect is commissioned to do a building, somebody has to commission that.
RM: Where do you find your inspiration?
Britto: My inspiration is very universal. I spend time observing my surroundings from nature to spending time with friends and things that come out of everyday life that inspires me. I’ve done so many things from a chair to my dog to my mother’s portrait, my son’s portrait. [I’ve painted] coffee cups, because I love drinking coffee in the morning and then my car, my mother’s house, trees — all sorts of things — people that I knew, people that I loved, all things.
RM: It seems like your career as an artist really took off after you participated in Absolut Vodka’s “Absolut Art” campaign. Would you say that’s accurate?
Britto: Doing the ad campaign for Absolut Vodka was a huge help because it takes so long for an artist to be able to share his work or her work to hundreds of thousands of people, but doing something like that, [it reaches] millions of people. When I did the opening ceremony of the Super Bowl, I was sharing my work with millions of people. In the past, when I did the Coca-Cola [bottles] for the Olympics, I was sharing my work with so many people, and it’s a real blessing.
RM: You’ve really created some impressive public installations, including the giant pyramid in London’s Hyde Park and the huge floating animals for Super Bowl XLI. How challenging are these types of projects?
Britto: It’s very challenging, because it’s not something that you can just do on a canvas or you can just do on a computer like graphic designers … I use all sorts of materials to create those massive [pieces] it’s very challenging because it’s a whole different medium. … I don’t think I will do another pyramid in Hyde Park for a long time, I can tell you, because it was expensive and difficult.
RM: Do you have to commission help to do something of that magnitude?
Britto: Oh, yeah, I have to do commission, of course. It’s not like I can just say, 'I’m going to do a 45-foot-high pyramid in Hyde Park' and just do it, because it’s very costly and time-consuming, and time is money.
RM: You created a portrait of Sir Elton John for an auction benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Why did you decide to participate in that event?
Britto: I do a lot of projects like that. I was invited by Elton John to come to a dinner party in his home, and then he was doing an auction and he asked me to do a portrait for his charity, which I did. Now I also did another portrait that is going to celebrate his birthday, his 70th birthday [on March 25], and the proceeds of that portrait, the Elton John portrait, are going to go to his foundation. Last year’s [portrait] raised more than [130,000 pounds or $162,165] for the foundation. I’m really happy that the money went to a great cause that [John has] worked with David Furnish for so many years [to support], and they do an incredible job with that foundation along with everybody else [on the staff].
Romero Britto and Sir Elton John display the portrait Britto created for John's charity. (Photo courtesy Romero Britto)
RM: You’ve also been involved with more than 250 charities; is this something that’s important for you to be able to do?
Britto: I work with a lot of charities, and I’ve worked with even more through the years. I’m trying to focus on charities that are very dear to me and charities that are close to me [personally] as well.
RM: Are there any particular charities you like to support, maybe due to a specific cause?
Britto: I like the idea of working with charities that [focus on] education and health.
RM: In regard to your corporate work, are there any collaborations you’d like to highlight?
Britto: I designed [watches] for Hublot, and I designed works for TechnoMarine … and Movado as well. [I created a poster] celebrating the Montreux Jazz Festival [an annual music festival held in Switzerland each July] and then I also did last year for Rolls-Royce, I painted a new Rolls-Royce convertible unveiled during Art Basel in Miami. I’ve done so many things, I’ve done a lot of projects with Coca-Cola … Grand Marnier and Mattel and Hasbro — I created a Barbie, and I did a Monopoly game — and I worked with BMW, Audi and Rolls-Royce.
RM: Considering the amount of projects you're undertaking, is your schedule sometimes overwhelming for you?
Britto: It’s not overwhelming because I love what I do, but it is exciting.
RM: Considering you’re a self-taught artist, born in Brazil, how does it feel to have achieved such a high level of recognition?
Britto: I feel really blessed. I am definitely dedicated to my work. I feel very proud that I came out with combinations of things. Today, I have so many people that have no imagination and they just want to … copy my art and sometimes it’s a little bit frustrating to see people that they just sit down at a computer and they knock off my work. It’s annoying, but in the meantime my work is not only to be a product, it also hangs in collections and in people’s homes. [My pieces] are in the homes of people and a part of their lives. They are not just something that people discard and then throw away and forget about. My work is actually something that people hold on to and they have in their home as a memory and a part of their lives.
RM: What’s next for you?
Britto: I’m working with lots of projects. It was just announced that I’m going to be teaming up with Nelvana, it’s an animation studio in Canada, and I’m working with them to create cartoons for children. A line of clothing is going to be launched with one of the biggest collectors in the world, Carlos Slim [a Mexican philanthropist and investor], and he loves my art, as [does] as his entire family … and it’s going to be traveling around the world basically.
RM: Have you worked on animations before?
Britto: I never did a cartoon before. I’ve been asked many times by different studios, and this was the first time I actually thought it was the right time to do it.
RM: What excites you about Richmond?
Britto: I’m excited about coming to Richmond. There’s so much history there. I definitely want to get my art in more homes of people in Richmond. I have collectors there, but I want to have more, and it’s a beautiful part of America.
RM: Will you be able to chat with Richmonders during your appearance at Chasen Galleries?
Britto: I would love to meet with them! I love meeting people. I love it so much, and I travel and meet people from everywhere.
RM: Do you think you will stay in Richmond longer to explore the city?
Britto: I wish I could! I only have two days for my show, but I definitely can’t wait to go back again to show more of my art to Richmond and to the public there.
Romero Britto’s art will be on public display at Chasen Galleries, 3554 W. Cary St., April 21-29. Meet the artist April 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. or April 30 from 2 to 4 p.m. — RSVPs are required by calling 204-1048 or by emailing art@chasengalleries.com.
