Hélio Oiticica: The Body of Color

by Mari Carmen Ramirez, Luciano Figueiredo, Wynne Phelan

One the most creative artists of the twentieth century, Hélio Oiticica (1937–1980) played a key role in the Tropicalia movement in Brazil, and in the overall development of Latin American art and culture. Beginning with formal, abstract works on paper, he progressed to creating labyrinths, works that could be worn as clothing, structures hung from the ceiling, and works that featured pure, vivid pigments. The large-scale environments he created toward the end of his career opened up new sensory worlds for gallery visitors, inviting them to take off their shoes and walk in sand or share the exhibition space with live, brilliantly colored tropical parrots. Drawing on new research and including previously unseen works, this is the most extensive publication yet on this crucial Latin American artist.

376 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007