Miami has long been the central infected zone of an epidemic named Romero Britto. And it's time to start talking quarantines, because the artist's glossy pop art has not only infiltrated Paris, but the hallowed walls of the classiest art venue ever, the Louvre. (Well actually, his work will be in the shopping center located in the Louvre Palace next to the famous museum.)
But wait, it's not all bad news. We've also learned that a local community group, Emerge Miami, is hard at work on their King Mango Strut float with the theme: "Impeach Britto." No time like the present, eh?
But first, how the heck did Miami's eyesore become the Louvre's problem? Blame
the head of the Brazilian Delegation to the Louvre, Bia Duarte, who
invited his fellow countryman to show his smiling cats, wiggles, and squiggles.
Thanks to Duarte, a handful of Britto paintings will hang in the Carrousel
du Louvre for the next four months. According to the exhibit catalog,
the Gaga and Jesus paintings (pictured here) are being sold for $82,000.
The exhibit's top price-tag goes to a Dopey portrait for $128,000. This is
how Britto pulls in $12 million a year.
If you weren't already fired up about Britto's oppressive omnipresence,
this Lourve news will surely push you over the edge. So channel that
outrage into a festive float, and then parade it down the street. Emerge
Miami's Leah Weston had the idea several months back to make "Impeach
Britto" bumper stickers to distribute around Miami. The Kingo Mango
float idea evolved from there.
She says "You can have a million opinions about Britto. Some people like
his artwork and some thinks it's crap. It's more about him being the
unelected art laureate of Miami. We want to poke fun at the public art
scene here and say to the developers who commission [Britto's] artwork:
Hey, Miami's a diverse community. We have a lot of talent in this town,
and there should not be a monopoly on public art." We agree. In fact,
we've already suggested five visual artists more deserving of a spot on Miami's street corners.
Want to help construct Emerge Miami's Impeach Britto float? As opposed to just
showing up at the group's Tuesday night meetings, first make contact
with the organizers through their web site. With all the anti-Britto vitriol (there have an egg and barf-bomb threats, and a recent art exhibit encouraged BYO Britto to destroy), they don't want a mob scene.
Last year, Emerge Miami paraded climate cheerleaders down Coconut Grove's Grand Avenue
for King Mango Strut. The community group is largely known for their
cycling initiatives within Miami such as Critical Mass and the recent
toy drive. But the group's larger mission is to "get Miami to extend its
image beyond South Beach," Weston says. So if you're not only tired of Britto, but of Miami's soiled reputation as a shallow party town, join these like-minded progressives for what Weston describes as "organized anarchy."
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