Installing Art with Priscila de Carvalho
Priscila and I during the installation. Photos by Ellen Warfield.
Priscila de Carvalho is a sensational Brazilian artist that I discovered about three and a half years ago. Luckily for me, she lives in New York City too. For these particular clients, who are also from Brazil but have been living in NYC for more than a decade, I wanted to add a young Brazilian artist to the contemporary art collection that I have helped them develop. We needed a piece in the dining room that I designed, and of course, color and impact was my paramount objective. Priscila was my favorite artist for the space, her large pieces have the right scale and they depict a social and cultural reality of the streets of Brazil in conjunction with some more lighthearted topics like carnival and samba dance. I also love the fiberglass clouds that she created and installed herself because they truly give the room a unique perspective – the whole thing went from a very cool canvas to an art installation.
It was such a treat to have Priscila come and work with me that I also chose to feature her in my book. She’s humble, funny and so talented. Priscila has won many grants and awards including the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and the James C. Johnson Scholarship Merit Award from The Arts Student League of New York and this year she has been awarded a Travel Grant by the Embassy of Brazil in Nepal and Siddhartha Art Foundation. She has had solo and group shows in several museums around the world including The Grand Palais in Paris, El Museo del Barrio in NYC, The Bronx Museum in NYC and The Basque Museum-Centre of Contemporary Art in Spain. I’m patiently waiting to see what new pieces Priscila will show us next.
This is how the dining looked after the install. The furniture is mid-century modern and very simple in its lines. The artwork is massive and compelling. The piece on the right wall is by another amazing artist, Nina Bovasso.