Beatriz was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1960, and grew up in Copacabana. She got her degree in journalism and went on to teach math at a local high school. But when she was twenty, she got into the School of Fine Arts of Rio, and discovered her love of art.

She is now the highest-valued living Brazilian artist in history.

Last month, Beatriz’s painting “O Mágico” sold for US$1,049,000 at Sotheby’s in New York to an Argentine collector, breaking the record for the most expensive painting by a living Brazilian artist. Her pieces usually sell for US$150,000 to US$300,000. Her work has been on display at MoMa, the Guggenheim, the Queen Sofia Museum, and the Tate Modern. She has also designed art for dance companies, a London metro station, the Tate Museum restaurant, and Selfridge’s Department store in the UK.

Beatriz designs still lifes and abstract art, with inspirations from Rio’s Carnival, tropicalism, and baroque art. The piece above is entitled “Noite de verão” (Summer Night).