Guest of King Charles, but confused by Viih Tube: See interesting facts about Romero Britto

His colorful and vibrant paintings and sculptures divide opinions in the art world, but it is a fact that his style is unmistakable. Romero Britto, who turns 60 this Friday (6), is —whether you like him or not— one of the Brazilian visual artists who has achieved greater recognition around the world.

His designs can be found in paintings, sculptures, screen prints and collages, clothes, shoes, suitcases, plates, cups, backpacks, perfumes, sleeping masks… Some say that there is an exaggeration in the commercial factor of his brand, which annually generates around US$250 million (around R$1.3 billion) in licensed works and products. The fact is that they circulate and make history in the hands of Brazilians.

After all, not just anyone will have dinner at Buckingham Palace at the invitation of today’s King Charles III. Even Viih Tube got into controversy after confusing a print by the artist on the cover of his school notebooks.

Born in Recife, Pernambuco, Romero was successful even when he illustrated an advertising campaign for Absolut vodka, already living in Miami, in the United States. That’s where he lives to this day — and where he parades his luxury cars, an object he’s coveted since he was a boy. What would you think of seeing a colorful Bentley car being towed through the streets of your neighborhood? Well, it already happened.

Many personalities from entertainment, sports and politics have been presented with paintings by him. From Neymar to Barack Obama, from Dilma Rousseff to Jair Bolsonaro. The artist has already publicly denied that he takes any political side with the representations. Even so, he gains comments and rumors on the internet and leads to disconcerting controversies. Check out these and other interesting facts about Romero Britto in the gallery above.