Romero Britto

Romero Britto (born October 6, 1963 ) is a Brazilian artist, painter, serigrapher, and sculptor. He combines elements of cubism, pop art, and graffiti painting in his work, using vibrant colors and bold patterns as a visual expression of hope, dreams, and happiness.

Biography
Britto was born in Recife, Brazil and grew up in poverty. In 1983 he traveled to Europe to study art, where he was influenced by the works of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. In 1988, he moved to Miami, where his current studio remains. His first major commission was to design artwork for Absolut Vodka for a 1989 campaign. In addition to his sculpture and fine art work, his designs have been used by Disney, BMW, IBM, Apple Computers, Grand Marnier, Pepsi, and Royal Caribbean Cruises, and been featured on a variety of consumer goods, such as Barbie dolls and pet collars. According to a 2023 documentary about him, Britto is "the most collected and licensed artist in history." Some of his public art installations are at Hyde Park, London, the O2 Arena in Berlin, and the John F. Kennedy Airport. He also designed a Miami water park.

Britto's charitable work has supported over 250 organizations.

In 2020, a restaurant owner purchased one of Britto's artistic works; a porcelain apple, and proceeded to smash it in front of the artist at a meet-and-greet, alleging he had behaved abusively towards her staff.

Political views
Britto is a conservative. In 2015 he hosted a fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush at his Miami studio where he unveiled a mural that he and Jeb Bush's wife Columba had painted with the slogan "#AllInForJeb". Previously, Britto held a fundraiser at his gallery for 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. He publicly supports Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro, and in March 2020 he gifted Bolsonaro with his own portrait.