Beatriz Milhazes - 20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale London Thursday, February 13, 2020 | Phillips

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  • Video

    Beatriz Milhazes, 'Little Tree', Lot 188

    20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale, 14 February

  • Provenance

    White Cube, Hong Kong
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Exhibited

    Hong Kong, White Cube, Beatriz Milhazes, 12 March – 30 May 2015

  • Catalogue Essay

    'I use elements from my culture, and colour is one of them, but I'm the only one to do so... I recently found that 'freedom' is a word that describes my work well. I think what characterizes my work is the freedom with which it combines different concepts, images, colours, abstraction and figuration, all within a very rational and geometric painting. My way of working uses freedom with order.' - Beatriz Milhazes

    Little Tree, 2014, powerfully and dazzlingly oscillates between wonderful geometric abstraction and organic and natural forms. Milhazes displays the skilled dexterity of her colour palette, collaging fractioned shapes in bright brilliant blues, reds, yellows, oranges and greens to create a festivity on the canvas. The artist’s unique style pays homage to her Brazilian nationality and Latin American and Western European art historical traditions, mirroring and encapsulating Milhazes’ own character and experiences. Evident is Milhazes’ admiration of the 20th Century masters such as Henri Matisse’s Fauvist works, Robert Delaunay and Wassily Kandinsky, apparent in the lyricism captured in the present example. Connecting all forms of creation, Milhazes’ Little Tree, 2014, celebrates in an explosion of colour the carnivals of Rio de Janeiro, tropical fauna and flora, traditional chitão fabric, arabesque patterns, musical compositions, Colonial baroque architecture and everyday found objects.

  • Artist Biography

    Beatriz Milhazes

    Brazilian • 1960

    Beatriz Milhazes is best known for her vibrantly colored yet calculated compositions. The artist has cited Baroque architecture, lace work, Carnival decoration and the flora of the Jardim Botanico in Rio de Janiero chief among her inspirations. Milhazes' artistic practice is akin to monotype or collage in that the artist first paints motifs directly onto transparent plastic sheets and later applies them to the canvas, leaving the plastic to dry. The superimposed image allows for overlapping and layering, resulting in a textured canvas and a distorted central focal point. While seemingly chaotic, Milhazes' compositions are perfectly balanced due to the artist's technically sophisticated use of geometric forms and chromatic color palate.

    View More Works

188

Little Tree

signed, titled and dated 'Beatriz Milhazes "Little Tree" 2014' on the reverse
paper collage on paper
120 x 44.5 cm (47 1/4 x 17 1/2 in.)
Executed in 2014.

Estimate
£75,000 - 100,000 

Sold for £81,250

Contact Specialist

Tamila Kerimova
Specialist, Head of Day Sale, Director, 20th Century & Contemporary Art

44 20 7318 4065
tkerimova@phillips.com

20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale

London Auction 14 February 2020