Romero Britto (B 1963) Brazilian/American, 2008 Maccabi Games Poster. Art made for the Oceania Junior Maccabi Games, held in Auckland, New Zealand. The Maccabiah Games, sometimes referred to as the “Jewish Olympics,” were first held in 1932 in Tel Aviv. They are an international multi-sport event that takes place primarily in Israel, open to Jewish athletes from around the world and to all Israeli citizens regardless of their religion. Competitions at the Maccabiah are organized into four divisions: Open (Seniors), Juniors, Masters, and Disabled. The name Maccabiah was chosen after Judah Maccabee, a Jewish leader who fought against the Greek King Antiochus. The 3rd Maccabiah Games, which was originally scheduled for 1938, was postponed until 1950 due to the outbreak of World War II, marking the longest period between competitions in the history of the games. Originally the Maccabiah was held every three years, then every four years after the 1953 Games. The Games were declared a “Regional Sports Event” by, and under the auspices and supervision of, the International Olympic Committee in 1961. With several offshoots in both hemispheres, it is now the third-largest sporting event in the world by number of competitors, with 10,000 athletes competing in the latest main Games in 2022. Signed bottom right in image. 

Size: 24 x 28 1/2 in. 

#2629 . 

Romero Britto was born in Recife, Brazil on October 6th, 1963. He grew up in extreme poverty in the wake of the 1964 military coup d’état that overthrew Brazilian president João Goulart. Britto often painted images on scraps of cardboard and newspaper, but did not consider art as a profession until his older brother brought home books about famous artists like Toulouse Lautrec. Britto began copying the works from the books, selling them in the street and saving the money up while studying to enter law school. The imminent collapse of the US-backed Brazilian dictatorship in the early 1980s created nightmarish conditions, and he fled to Europe in 1983, where he was able to finally study art with complete freedom. Heavily inspired by the works of Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, he worked in watercolor, pen and ink, and acrylic, exploring serigraphy and lithography. He finger-painted and immersed himself in sculpture as well, developing a style that combined elements of Cubism, pop art, and graffiti into his work, using vibrant colors and bold patterns as a visual expression of hope, dreams, and happiness. In 1988, after the ratification of the new constitution by the Sixth Brazilian Republic, the international recognition of his transient status allowed him to immigrate to Miami, where he continues to work at his permanent studio. His first major commission was to design artwork for Absolut Vodka for a 1989 campaign. His rags to riches story and enthusiastic art style led him to create designs for Disney, BMW, IBM, Apple Computers, Grand Marnier, Pepsi, and Royal Caribbean Cruises. According to a 2023 documentary about him, Britto is “the most collected and licensed Brazilian artist in history.” He has public art installations at Hyde Park in London, the O2 Arena in Berlin, and at the John F. Kennedy Airport, and devotes much of his time to charitable work, supporting over 250 organizations.