Here, there and everywhere. Since 1989, when Absolut vodka featured a Britto painting in an ad, his work has been used to sell Grand Marnier, Pepsi and Disney. He has put his mark on dishes, linens and—with pal Nicole Miller—a line of dresses. This fall Britto even launched his own perfume.
The art establishment isn't sold. "He's a brilliant marketer, not an artist," says University of Miami art historian Paula Harper. But Britto-philes queue up for canvases at up to $160,000 a pop. "I think it's only the beginning for him," says Emilio Estefan, who with his wife, pop singer Gloria, owns several Brittos.
Not bad for a cop's son from Recife, Brazil. After briefly studying to be a diplomat, Britto followed his muse to Miami in 1987, working odd jobs while selling paintings on the street. In 1988 he wed Cheryl Reynolds, now 54, a homemaker (the pair share a comfortable home in South Miami with son Brendan, 13). These days he's as well known for his philanthropy as for his artistry—he favors children's charities—and he's a regular at parties in glitzy Palm Beach. "I used to drive over to look at it," he says. "I never thought I'd be walking into one of those places."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
