Denver Magazine / Denver Magazine Summer 2008 / Monumental Art

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Monumental Art

Miami-based artist Romero Britto brings his whimsical works to Denver for the first stop of his sculpture tour across America.

Romero Britto is a major player in the international art world with his paintings and sculptures exhibited in many museums and art galleries around the globe, but his work is unknown to many Denverites.

He's been hailed by art critics as "the iconic pop artist," or slotted into the "neo-pop artist" category because of his unconventional artistic style, choice of every-day subjects and bold designs. Britto, however, dismisses such titles.

"People can say whatever they want and they say beautiful things," said Britto. "But at the end of the day, my art is about happiness and that's what I want to bring to my life and work."

His psychedelic-colored paintings are filled with blood reds, grassy greens, pumpkin oranges and sky blues slashed with bold black streaks outlining figures. Yellow, his favorite color, dominates many works because "yellow is light, like the sun, and the sun is life."

Britto views his work as a stand against the darkness he sees in the world. "I see my work as colorful, vibrant and very positive and optimistic about the future," he said. "My inspirations come from the whole universe of simple things that we are all immersed in every day. Like a tree, animal, the chair in my house or a building. Things, moments and feelings that are all very common to us."

You'd agree if you were among the millions watching the Super Bowl XLI pregame show, when the stadium was turned into a giant Britto canvas created by the artist and Cirque du Soleil. If you missed the Super Bowl, perhaps you remember the Absolut Vodka label he created in the early 1990s, which featured a peaceful female face with eyes looking down at a riot of red hearts and flowers wrapped around a pure-white bottle emblazoned with jet-black "Absolut."

Britto is still amazed how the Absolut Vodka bottle label he designed for the company's ad campaign fueled his rapid rise from struggling artist to his current notoriety and success.

"It definitely was a huge, huge, huge shift from where I was to where I am," he said. "When I was commissioned by Absolut Vodka for my art to be in so many magazines in prime space 'like on the back cover' it was very unique."

Born in Brazil in 1963, the eighth of nine siblings in an impoverished family, Britto painted on pieces of cardboard and newspaper as a child. He sold his first painting at the age of 14 during a public exhibition by the Organization of American States. He came to the U.S. in 1989 to visit a friend in Miami, met his wife and moved to Florida. At first, he hawked his paintings on the streets of Coconut Grove, graduated to selling through a gallery, then began a series of artistic partnerships with corporations such as Pepsi, Swatch, Evian and Audi.

Today, Britto's works are collected by museums around the world and by celebrities ranging from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy to singers Gloria Estefan and Elton John. He's designed stamps for the United Nations and created images for sporting events and charities. Last fall, he painted a commemorative portrait series titled "Princess Diana," had the pictures signed by celebrities and political leaders, and then donated the proceeds to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and the Landmine Survivors Network. His largest project is a 45-foot high pyramid created for the recent opening of the King Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit in London. Two sides of the pyramid, which sat in Hyde Park's Speaker's Corner during the exhibit, were filled with paintings drawn by children from around the world who gathered there to work with Britto.

Britto considers himself lucky, so he is determined to increase the luck of children through his Britto Foundation, created in 2007. "Children are our future. I was a kid not that long ago," he said. He's determined to help youngsters make good choices. "I think the more you are informed and the more knowledge you have, the more choices you have," he said.

The foundation's goals include engaging children in education and literacy programs, and cultivating partnerships between communities, businesses and educational leaders. One of these partnerships is what brings Britto's work to Denver.

See Britto's monumental sculptures at the Aspen Grove Lifestyle Center, June 12-July 6, during the first stop of his year-long Britto Tours America exhibition, which includes 11 stops at Developers Diversified Realty (DDR) centers around the nation. The tour, arranged by DDR, which owns and manages more than 740 retail operating and development properties in 45 states and other countries, was the brainchild of DDR's Executive Vice President of property management John S. Kokinchak. He has been a fan of Britto since Kokinchak's wife gave him a bottle of Absolut with the Britto label in the early '90s.

While visiting Britto's Miami gallery, Kokinchak and the artist started chatting and became friends. As arrangements were made to install three of Britto's sculptures in a new shopping center in Miami, the conversation drifted to "how to get people across the country to see this wonderful art," said Kokinchak.

"The great thing about these shows is that people don't need to buy my work," explained Britto. "They can just look at it and enjoy." The 12 monumental sculptures for the Denver exhibit include Blue Dog, Big Apple, Dancing Boy and other familiar Britto images. They will be placed around Aspen Grove's mix of upscale retail shops and restaurants.

The tour's stop in Aspen Grove in Littleton will feature a VIP reception with the artist Friday, June 13. The event will include a live auction, with proceeds going to local charities, and carriage rides through the property to view the sculptures. Britto will host a children's painting party Saturday, June 14, from 1-3 p.m., where he will paint large canvases with the kids.

For more details, contact the Aspen Grove management office: 303.794.0640.