Richly layered, intensely chromatic, and bursting with energy, the paintings of Brazilian artist Beatriz Milhazes catch one’s attention and hold it—drawing the eye deeper into her signature jungles of pattern and color. These dynamic creations promise to captivate audiences at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, where her first major U.S. retrospective debuts on September 19. Titled “Beatriz Milhazes: Jardim Botânico,” the show comprises more than 40 canvases, prints, and collages completed over the past 25 years.
The selection offers an unprecedented overview of the artist’s distinctive technique, developed in the 1990s at a time when painting was largely out of favor in the art world. Rather than apply paint directly to the canvas or paper, Milhazes first executes each compositional element on a separate plastic sheet and then applies it to the work in progress using a clever transfer process. (Think of a temporary tattoo.) Details are often lost, giving the pieces a decidedly unpolished quality. “Her art is so lush and pleasurable, but it’s also imperfect,” says the museum’s chief curator, Tobias Ostrander. The individual motifs vary widely, from decorative ruffles and rosettes to stark geometric shapes, and their combined effect is at once happy and hypnotic, a reminder that painting never lost its powerful punch. Through January 18, 2015; pamm.org
* *
