Sonia Menna

SONIA MENNA BARRETO (Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1953).
"Balloon", 2023.
Polychrome bronze. Exemplary 2/50.
Certificate of authenticity attached.
Signed and justified.
Measurements: 21 x 18 cm; 5 x 17 x 7 cm (boat).
This sculpture is presented by the artist as a naive game, since a boat hangs from a balloon. Despite its fun and candid appearance, the work awakens deeper values related to childhood, innocence and weightlessness. In his works he defines a space populated by a multitude of anthropo- and zoomorphic figures, surrounded by everyday objects, without respecting even the most basic principles of perspective. The result is ideo-universes that engulf the viewer.
In 1980, Sônia Menna Barreto began to attend the studio of the artist Luiz Portinari, brother of Cândido Portinari, at the Cândido Portinari Arts Center. During this period, she got to know the artistic life. After coming into contact with the works of Max Ernst, De Chirico, Magritte and Paul Delvaux, Sonia's work took the direction of surrealism. This phase was decisive for her career, beginning to develop her intimate and creative side, solving technical and thematic problems on her own without the supervision of teachers. In October 2002, for the first time a Brazilian work became part of the Royal Collection, belonging to the British Royal Family.