Collection in Focus | Beatriz Milhazes: Rigor and Beauty

About

Brazilian contemporary artist Beatriz Milhazes creates mural-like, abstract paintings through an innovative technique she calls “monotransfer.” She begins this process by painting her forms onto clear plastic sheets. Once dry, she layers and adheres the painted films onto the canvas, and then peels off the plastic sheets, revealing the forms in reverse. The resulting vibrant and dynamic compositions balance abstract forms, organic patterns, and geometric structures on densely textured and intricate surfaces.

Milhazes draws inspiration from Brazilian and European artists, such as Tarsila do Amaral, Henri Matisse, Hilma af Klint, Piet Mondrian and Roberto Burle Marx, and references motifs including regional folklore, popular culture, decorative art, nature, and spirituality. This focused exhibition will highlight a concise group of the artist’s paintings drawn from the Guggenheim’s permanent collection and augmented by key loans.

This exhibition is organized by Geaninne Gutiérrez-Guimarães, Curator, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, New York.