Provenance
Stephen Friedman Gallery, London; Private Collection, London
Catalogue Essay
Beatriz Milhazes’ work features in the collections of major museums of modern and contemporary art around the world and she is now recognised as one of the most internationally important artists of her generation. Milhazes was recognised as a key player in the emerging contemporary art scene of Brazil as early as 1998 when a large selection of her paintings where included in the São Paulo Biennial, which Paulo Herkenhoff had curated under the theme of ‘Anthropophagy’. Anthropophagy, or cannibalism, was an irreverent concept conceived originally in 1928 by the poet Oswald de Andrade, who equated the appropriation of early Brazilian modernism with the rituals of the Tupi-Guarani natives who consumed many European colonists. Initially trained at the independently run Parque Lage art school in Rio de Janeiro, which during the 1980s became a central stage for the revival of painting during that decade, Beatriz Milhazes quickly established herself as a leading figure in the so-called Brazilian ‘Geração 80’. Similar to contemporaneous events in Europe and the USA, the period saw the return to painterly expression following the more politically and conceptually oriented art of the previous decades. In Brazil this festive mode was further emphasised by the demise of the military regime, which although not entirely defunct, showed a certain willingness towards allowing a political transition towards more democratic forms of government. Whilst this general celebratory mood installed itself, historical references particularly to Brazilian culture became increasingly common amongst painters. Very much a part of that moment, Milhazes’ initial interests focused on the legacy of Brazilian colonial baroque articulating it with the cacophony of imagery stemming from international contemporary culture. If her initial iconography centred on the conjunction of architectural imagery and nature, she soon developed a technique that would define her mode of practice and give an overall coherence to her paintings. This technique combines painting and collage and is characteristic of the acrylic medium itself. The invocation of historical themes is only emphasised by this creative strategy since the transferral of the thin film of paint leaves behind fragments which are in turn reintroduced within the canvas, albeit in distinct locations. The process of layering paint constructs an impression of age, of worn-out surfaces, invoking history through the actual treatment of the medium rather than necessarily through representation. This is not to say that the work is entirely abstract. Milhazes brings together cultural traditions intrinsic to Brazil, whether from the crafts or from the fine arts while acknowledging European modernism particularly the work of Matisse. In the case of O Moderno (2002), we find a conjunction of culturally specific references through the seemingly degraded surface, the patterns that invoke Brazilian popular traditions such as lace handicraft and internationally recognised symbols such as the ‘piece sign’ at the centre of the composition, itself surrounded by flower-like arrangements that evoke the 1960s. Here the artist cunningly manipulates our gaze through a carefully constructed arrangement of layers. One could read this layering as offering a sense of the passing of time – the centre being the most recent and the extremities the more ancient – which is emphasised by the underlying lace-like patterns, their treatment of colour and the apparent worn condition of their surface. One can conclude that this is a painting that displays key concerns in Milhazes’ practice: it reflects the medium’s own tradition by presenting to us a sense of disjointed histories that are at times interconnected while at others superimposed.
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.
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9

Beatriz Milhazes

O Moderno

2002
Acrylic on canvas.
300 × 150 cm (118 1/8 × 59 in).
Signed, titled and dated ‘Beatriz Milhazes “O Moderno”, 2002’ on the reverse.

Estimate
£650,000 - 750,000 ♠

Sold for £713,250

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

27 June
London

1
Urs Fischer
Oh, Sad, I See
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000
Sold for £145,250
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2
Jacob Kassay
Untitled
Estimate £50,000 - 70,000
Sold for £145,250
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3
Glenn Ligon
Stranger in the Village #8
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000
Sold for £253,250
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4
Ugo Rondinone
Get up girl a sun is running the world
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000
Sold for £541,250
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5
This lot is no longer available.
6
Urs Fischer
Thank You Fuck You
Estimate £600,000 - 800,000 ‡
Sold for £657,250
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7
Wade Guyton
Untitled
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡
Sold for £205,250
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8
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Self-Portrait
Estimate £2,000,000 - 3,000,000 ‡
Sold for £2,057,250
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9
Beatriz Milhazes
O Moderno
Estimate £650,000 - 750,000 ♠
Sold for £713,250
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10
Tony Cragg
The Fanatics
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡♠
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11
Kelley Walker
Untitled
Estimate £50,000 - 70,000
Sold for £145,250
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12
Sean Scully
Small Horizontal Robe
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡♠
Sold for £253,250
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13
Ilya Kabakov
A Solemn Painting
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡♠
Sold for £241,250
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14
Cecily Brown
I Will Not Paint Any More Boring Leaves (2)
Estimate £350,000 - 450,000 ‡♠
Sold for £529,250
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15
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡
Sold for £577,250
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16
Andy Warhol
Mao
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000
Sold for £373,250
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17
Alighiero Boetti
Untitled
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡
Sold for £193,250
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18
Rosemarie Trockel
Untitled (Vogelköpfe)
Estimate £150,000 - 200,000 ♠
Sold for £241,250
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19
Beatriz Milhazes
O Conflicto
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ♠
Sold for £181,250
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20
Damien Hirst
Confession
Estimate £600,000 - 800,000 ♠
Sold for £690,850
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21
Mark Tansey
Library (of Babylon)
Estimate £1,200,000 - 1,800,000 ‡
Sold for £1,161,250
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22
Ugo Rondinone
11.September 2008
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ‡
Sold for £121,250
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23
Peter Fischli and David Weiss
Brush Pot
Estimate £30,000 - 50,000
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24
Christopher Wool
Untitled
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ‡
Sold for £97,250
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25
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate £500,000 - 700,000 ♠
Sold for £657,250
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26
Victor Vasarely
Binaire FF
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ‡
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27
Andreas Gursky
Heidelberg Ost
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ♠
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28
Heinz Mack
Untitled
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ♠
Sold for £109,250
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29
Marino Marini
Cavallo
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡
Sold for £421,250
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30
Thomas Struth
Pergamon Museum IV, Berlin
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ♠
Sold for £109,250
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31
Andy Warhol
Muhammad Ali
Estimate £180,000 - 220,000
Sold for £217,250
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32
George Condo
Don Diego
Estimate £180,000 - 220,000
Sold for £205,250
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Contemporary Art Evening Sale

27 June London

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Provenance

Catalogue Essay

Artist Biography

Beatriz Milhazes

9

Beatriz Milhazes

O Moderno

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

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27 June
London