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5 South Florida Art Legends to Follow- Romero Britto, Colin & Sas Christian, Rey Rey Rodriguez, OliGa
Romero Britto – Artist / Painter / Sculptor
Romero Britto was born in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Brazil. He is a self-taught artist that credits a trip to Paris in 1983 to his interest in Modern masters like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. Britto moved to Miami in 1988, where he emerged as an international artist, painter, serigrapher, and sculptor finding success through work with brand campaigns for Absolut Vodka, Disney, Barbie, Hublot, and much more. He has recreated famous paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The Starry Night, and has painted portraits of many celebrities, politicians, and public figures such as Sir Elton John and Luciano Pavarotti. This South Florida legend lives and works in Miami, FL where he owns the Britto Central Gallery.
Official website: Britto.com
Colin Christian – Sculptor / Artist
Colin Christian was born in London, England. He was a rebel child that enjoyed the arts more than academics. As a young adult, he met and married pop surrealist painter Sas Christian, and together they moved to South Florida in the early 90’s. Colin started making rubber couture clothing before switching to sculptures. He spent years researching movie makeup materials, and discovered how to use them to create larger than life fiberglass figures, which gained him notoriety, and eventually made him a South Florida legend. Colin has created sculptures for Kanye West, Miley Cyrus, Sanrio, Frances Cobain, The Black-Eyed Peas, and more. Christian’s work is in the permanent collection of the MoMA in Vienna, Austria.
Sas Christian – Pop Surrealist Painter
Sas Christian was born in London, England. The student of graphic design moved to South Florida, bought a book called “How to Paint with Oils,” and with no formal fine art training whatsoever managed to become a South Florida art legend. As a young adult, she met and married sculptor & artist Colin Christian (mentioned above). Her style displays and captures artwork of dark anime-like characters that seem ballsy, flirty, weepy, punk, catholic, no-nonsense, damaged but not broken, funny, intelligent, unusual, independent, and oddball outsiders. Her paintings can be found everywhere in South Florida and worldwide.
Official website: SasChristian.com
Rey Rey Rodriguez – Visual Artist / Photographer
Rey Rey Rodriguez was born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. At an early age he moved to South Florida and taught himself photography, graphic design, filmmaking, and poetry. His passion for horror films drove him to create dark photography, and his love for combat sports inspired him to photograph fighters. During the early stages of social media, his fine-art photography exploded online, opening doors and gaining him access to private events, gatherings, and elite clients locally, making him an underground South Florida legend. Rey Rey has photographed many renowned figures such as Elvis Crespo, Daryl Davis, and Damien Rider, athletes such as Dustin Poirier, Colby Covington, and Gordon Ryan, and has helped grow the brands of artists, politicians, major companies, and more worldwide.
Official website: TheMindOfReyRey.com
Oliver A. Ganthier “OliGa” – Digital Pop Artist
OliGa was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. His figurative work includes portraits, afro-pop characters inspired by his Haitian culture, tropical and urban life. His digital paintings, “Soup Joumou (The Golden Soup)” and “Pozidreamer” have gained lots of attention within the massive Haitian community, quickly making him a South Florida legend. OliGa has collaborated with various companies including Lyft,Macmillan, and Unilever (Culture Republic), and has painted an Art car with Mazda for Auto Expo Haiti. His artwork can be found displayed everywhere today.
Website: OliGaShop.com
Umar Nisar was born and raised in the busy city of Abbottabad. As a journalist, Umar Nisar has contributed to many online publications including PAK Today and the Huffing Post. In regards to academics, Umar Nisar earned a degree in business from the Abbottabad UST, Havelian. Umar Nisar follows the money and covers all aspects of emerging tech here at The Hear Up.
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