Jose Saboia, Musico, c. 2000s

Oil on canvas
69 x 49.5 cm (visible), 74 x 54 x 4 cm (framed)
Condition: Very good, with surface accretion consistent with age and handling

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Jose Saboia (Brazilian, b. 1949) is a postwar and contemporary painter, whose practice bridges figurative and expressionism. He relocated to Rio de Janeiro in 1967, and started painting the following year, debuting at the Hippie Fair in Ipanema. His first solo exhibition took place in Fortaleza in 1970, marking the beginning of a prolific exhibition history in major Brazilian centres such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Saboia’s work often features repetition of identical faces, portraying a shared emotion with subtle humour. Sometimes arranged in dense, rhythmic groupings, sometimes focusing on a single figure. What is now his signature style was not immediate, his visual language was something that took form gradually, in early explorations of popular aesthetics. Now his canvases are defined by sinuous linework, flat, even brushstrokes, and a limited, harmonious palette. His compositions often exhibit horror vacui, a visual fullness that reflects both narrative and rhythm.

(Photographed in April 2025)