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“Landscape is very important for Brazilian artists. It's always there, because it's so imposing. The weather too. It will be hot and then the rain comes out of the blue. It is very dramatic in terms of colour and how it affects our behavior.”
—Marina Perez SimãoMarina Perez Simão creates lucidly rendered landscapes in a dazzling array of colours. Her semi-abstracted works are composed of shimmering forms, and she uses broad, sweeping brushstrokes to create visions of idealised vistas. The Brazilian artist has become one of the most exciting young painters working today, joining a cohort of other young female artists, like Pam Evelyn and Jadé Fadojutimi in her use of gestural abstraction as a means of creating joyful, dynamic works. Represented by Pace Gallery and Mendes Wood, Simão has held international solo exhibitions in London, Paris, São Paulo and New York. Despite her newfound success, her work is held in the collections of multiple institutions such as Blenheim Palace, Woodstock; Columbus Museum of Art; Dallas Museum of Art; and K11 Art Foundation, Hong Kong.
Simão was born and raised in Brazil. Moving between the rolling hills of Minas Gerais, and the vibrant urban landscape of Rio de Janeiro, she has drawn inspiration from her exposure to a mosaic of beautiful sceneries. Echoes of this upbringing can be seen throughout her canvases; in Untitled we are afforded a picturesque impression of green mountains and blue ocean, as if through the porthole of a ship. To the left of the canvas Simão has painted a churning column of reds, flecked with streaks of green – this red motif is recurrent in her work, and is redolent of the clay soil native to the mining region of Minas Gerais.i
Tarsila Do Amaral, The Moon, 1928, The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Image: © The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence, Artwork: © Tarsila do Amaral Simão’s signature bright palette continues the tradition of Brazilian landscape painting that lies before it. Sweeping, elliptical gestures – such as the flash of brooding violet sky – and clean line work are evocative of fellow Brazilian painter Tarsila Do Amaral. A pioneer of Latin American Modernism, Amaral’s compositions are a powerful expression of Brazilian nationalism, that uses spectacular landscapes as a prominent source of inspiration. Simão furthers the work of artists like Amaral through the abstraction of her compositions. She has abandoned the use of photographic references in favour of using her own memories and imagination, as well as influences of music and poetry. Pulsating forms dance across the large canvases, which transcend the traditional landscape genre and asks us to ‘think about the musicality of paint’.ii As a result, the kaleidoscope of Simão’s colour and form provides us with only suggestive hints as to what we might be seeing, drawing us in and forcing us to create our own narrative. These dreamlike visions are full of light and movement, that teeter on the cusp of recognisable landscape and metaphysical shapes.
“Marina’s work attempts to open up portals of wonder in the viewer, making them imagine other universes where the limits of reality don’t hold.”
—Diana CampbellMoving to Paris after a period in law school, Simão completed her BFA and MFA at École Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts de Paris, under the guidance of Brazilian sculptor Solange Pessoa.ii There she describes how she developed an ‘emotional attachment’ to the Louvre, spending most days gazing at millennia’s worth of art history.vi Elaborating upon which work of art she would choose to live alongside, Simão answered The Exchange of the two princesses of France and Spain on the Bidasoa in Hendaye by Peter Paul Rubens, as it was a work ‘I copied about 1,000 times as a student’.v The swirling forms of curtains, clouds and cherubs create a visionary whirlpool that ‘rhymes’ in the eyes of Simão.iv Untitled’s composition reflects the rhythmic elements of Ruben’s work, with a dramatic circular portal, undulating folds and shocks of Baroque red and black.
Peter Paul Rubens, The Exchange of the two princesses of France and Spain on the Bidasoa in Hendaye, November 9, 1615, c. 1600-1625, Louvre, Paris. Image: © Photo Scala, Florence An affinity with her homeland, Brazil, and a formal education in Paris has gifted Simão with an eclectic arsenal of inspiration that she intelligently deploys. As a viewer, we are treated to a transitory glimpse into her world, and Matheus Yehudi argues that her mind is ‘a kaleidoscope, and it’s only now that she has all the information she’s needed’.vii The result is a body of work that invites us to reconsider our collective memory of environment, and the ephemerality of colour, form, and nature.
Collector’s Digest
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Marina Perez Simão creates large-scale abstracted landscapes. Growing up in the beautiful Brazilian countryside, she uses a dazzling array of colour and form to evoke dreamlike visions of almost recognisable environments.
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Represented by Pace Gallery and Mendes Wood, Simão has held international solo exhibitions in London, Paris, São Paulo and New York, with her most recent Onda being held at Pace Gallery, London, in September 2022.
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Her work is held in the collections of multiple institutions such as Blenheim Palace, Woodstock; Columbus Museum of Art; Dallas Museum of Art; and K11 Art Foundation, Hong Kong.
i Oliver Basciano, ‘Brazilian painter Marina Perez Simão’s bold and beguiling worlds’, Art Basel, 22 May, 2023, online.
ii Marina Perez Simão, quoted in Sofia Hallström, ‘In the Studio with Marina Perez Simão.’, emergent magazine, 14 September, 2022, online.
iii Jennifer Piejko, ‘What Is It About Brazilian Artist Marina Perez Simão’s Dreamlike Landscapes That Is Making So Many Collectors Dream of Owning Them?’, Artnet, 21 March, 2022, online.
iv Marina Perez Simão, quoted in Emily Steer, ‘Marina Perez Simão: I Never Work When I’m Sad’, Elephant, 5 September, 2022, online.
v Marina Perez Simão, quoted in Emily Steer, ‘Marina Perez Simão: I Never Work When I’m Sad’, Elephant, 5 September, 2022, online.
vi Marina Perez Simão, quoted in Emily Steer, ‘Marina Perez Simão: I Never Work When I’m Sad’, Elephant, 5 September, 2022, online.
vii Jennifer Piejko, ‘What Is It About Brazilian Artist Marina Perez Simão’s Dreamlike Landscapes That Is Making So Many Collectors Dream of Owning Them?’, Artnet, 21 March, 2022, online.
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Provenance
Mendes Wood DM, New York
Private Collection
Acquired from the above by the present owner
5
Untitled
signed and dated ‘MARINA PEREZ simão 6/20’ on the reverse
oil on canvas
160.3 x 200.7 cm (63 1/8 x 79 in.)
Painted in 2020.
Estimate
£70,000 - 100,000 ‡
Sold for £95,250
Rosanna Widén
Senior Specialist, Head of Evening Sale
+44 20 7318 4060
rwiden@phillips.com
Olivia Thornton
Head of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Europe
+44 20 7318 4099
othornton@phillips.com
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale
London Auction 13 October 2023
1
Mohammed Sami
Childhood
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ‡♠
Sold for £228,600
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2
Stefanie Heinze
Median (Fin Fatale)
Estimate £60,000 - 80,000 ‡♠
Sold for £165,100
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3
Emma Webster
Baptism
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ‡♠
Sold for £228,600
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4
Christopher Hartmann
Still Looking
Estimate £20,000 - 30,000 ‡♠
Sold for £38,100
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5
Marina Perez Simão
Untitled
Estimate £70,000 - 100,000 ‡
Sold for £95,250
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6
Francesca Mollett
Two Thistles
Estimate £25,000 - 35,000 ♠
Sold for £254,000
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7
Pam Evelyn
Night Fog
Estimate £30,000 - 50,000 ‡♠
Sold for £44,450
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8
Christina Quarles
Lil' Dapple Do Ya
Estimate £450,000 - 550,000 ‡
Sold for £508,000
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9
Michaela Yearwood-Dan
The Summit of Beauty and Love
Estimate £60,000 - 80,000 ‡♠
Sold for £228,600
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10
Jadé Fadojutimi
Beneath the Petticoat
Estimate £150,000 - 200,000 ♠
Sold for £177,800
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11
This lot is no longer available.
12
Luc Tuymans
Rome
Estimate £1,200,000 - 1,800,000 ‡♠
Sold for £1,500,000
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13
Beatriz Milhazes
Mares do Sul
Estimate £600,000 - 800,000 ‡♠
Sold for £698,500
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14
Josef Albers
Homage to the Square
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡
Sold for £609,600
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15
Alex Katz
Ariel
Estimate £650,000 - 850,000 ‡
Sold for £698,500
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16
This lot is no longer available.
17
Anish Kapoor
Untitled
Estimate £600,000 - 800,000 ‡♠
Sold for £825,500
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18
On Kawara
OCT.20,1992
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡
Sold for £342,900
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19
Günther Uecker
Ohne Titel
Estimate £180,000 - 250,000 ‡♠
Sold for £241,300
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20
Anselm Kiefer
Das einzige Licht
Estimate £600,000 - 800,000 ‡♠
Sold for £698,500
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21
Simon Hantaï
Tabula
Estimate £450,000 - 650,000 ‡♠
Sold for £508,000
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22
This lot is no longer available.
23
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24
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Untitled (Colored Boy Piano Player)
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000
Sold for £203,200
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25
Cy Twombly
Untitled
Estimate £800,000 - 1,200,000 ‡
Sold for £914,400
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26
Henri Matisse
Grand Nu accroupi (Olga)
Estimate £600,000 - 800,000 ‡♠
Sold for £660,400
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27
Balthus
Étude pour ‘Le Peintre et son modèle’
Estimate £280,000 - 400,000 ‡♠
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28
This lot is no longer available.
29
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30
Cy Twombly
Untitled
Estimate £150,000 - 200,000 ‡
Sold for £190,500
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31
Rick Lowe
Black Wall Street Journey #11
Estimate £60,000 - 80,000 ‡
Sold for £114,300
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32
Banksy
Forgive Us Our Trespassing
Estimate £2,200,000 - 2,800,000 ‡♠
Sold for £2,710,000
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33
Daniel Richter
Schakal Reloaded
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡♠
Sold for £508,000
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34
Dana Schutz
Gravity Fanatic
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡
Sold for £495,300
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35
George Condo
Seated Harlequin
Estimate £750,000 - 950,000 ‡
Sold for £889,000
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36
Sarah Lucas
Jubilee
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ‡♠
Sold for £101,600
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37
Damien Hirst
Five Antique Torsos
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡♠
Sold for £317,500
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38
Caroline Walker
Fragranced
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ‡♠
Sold for £565,150
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39
Louise Giovanelli
An Ex
Estimate £60,000 - 80,000 ‡♠
Sold for £76,200
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40
Issy Wood
Cries Real Tears!
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ‡♠
Sold for £215,900
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41
Maria Lassnig
Competition III
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡♠
Sold for £482,600
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42
Alina Szapocznikow
Autoportret II
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡♠
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43
Rudolf Stingel
Untitled
Estimate £550,000 - 750,000 ‡♠
Sold for £660,400
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44
John Chamberlain
Druid’s Cluster (Swish)
Estimate £350,000 - 450,000 ‡
Sold for £330,200
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45
Damien Hirst
Fear
Estimate £300,000 - 400,000 ‡♠
Sold for £349,250
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46
Raghav Babbar
The Bath in Holy River
Estimate £30,000 - 50,000 ♠
Sold for £457,200
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