José Bechara

(Rio de Janeiro, 1957)

José Bechara started his production in the late 1980s, working ever since with paintings. After his studies at the Escola de Artes Visuais do Parque Lage, he began his experimentation with various media and techniques, carrying out his first solo exhibition in 1992. Throughout time Bechara developed an unique manner through the use of different methods and materials, enabling new experiences in the pictorial field. Instead of the white canvas, the artist uses worn materials smirched by time, incidents, and practices of a universe far from that of the traditional craft of painting. Colour pigments and brushes are replaced by ferruginous matter eroded by time, creating distinct chromatic effects. This experimental nature – coupled with a great aesthetic precision and through the development of a poetic language – lead the artist to the creation of sculptures and installations, associating his work therefore more directly with architecture. Bechara is considered one of the most respected artists of the 1990’s Generation. He lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil