Mona Mona , 2008

Religion, consumerism and politics, are a handful of the many subjects which have proven to be life-long concerns, and fields of artistic exploration, for Nelson Leirner. He consistently applied his grasp of pop art methodology to his work, to suffuse his critique of world politics with derision and irony. He was a keen commentator on the inner workings of economic globalisation inequalities, and was fully aware of the considerable disparities prevalent between the first and developing world. Leirner was born in Sao Paulo in 1932 and was arguably, the leading artist in Brazil from the second half of the XXth century onwards. He lived in the US until the late forties, before permanently relocating in Rio de Janeiro. His persisting desire to translate the contradictions of cultural trends into caustic vignettes, immediately brought him considerable attention and interest from the Brazilian art scene, and catapulted him onto the international stage in the 1980s. His most iconic works are satirical reproductions of Leonardo's 'Mona Lisa' and 'Last Supper”, replete with consumer goods references; a parody of Velasquez's 'Ladies in waiting', and his 'Maracana' football stadium reproduction with hundreds of cheering Buddhas, Jesuses and Roman legionnaires. His untimely passing in March 2020, makes his body of work all the more relevant and pertinent.