Life and work of Milton Dacosta: biography of the artist

Born in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, in 1915, Milton Dacosta demonstrated a fascination with art even as a child, since he had been doodling and painting everything he could reach since he was very young.

It doesn't take long for him to decide to study drawing. At just 14 years old, he meets Augusto Hantz, a German professor who teaches Rio the basics on the subject.

Passion and interest in art increase. Therefore, he enrolled in a free course at the National School of Fine Arts a year later. There he takes classes with one of the great masters of human figures and still life of the period, the painter José Marques Júnior.

At this time, the Revolution of 1930 took place, which, among several articulations, decided to close the school.

Outraged by this fact, the artist joined others, such as Ado Malagoli and Edson Motta. With them, he founded, in 1931, the Núcleo Bernardelli.

This group was not only created as an alternative for formal art education to spread, but also represents a form of protest on the part of these painters, who decide to fight for freedom of artistic expression.

At this stage, he focuses on creating more figurative compositions and also on painting landscapes of common scenes. It didn't take long for his first exhibition to take place, which took place in 1936, after the artist turned 21.
Life and work of Milton Dacosta: the transition to other aesthetics and techniques

In the 1940s, the artist reached his maturity. During this period, influenced by Cubism, his human figures no longer appear as realistic as the first ones, as they bring the distortions and geometric narratives of Pablo Picasso.

During this period, he won a prize with the work “Cena de Atelier”. Then he leaves for Portugal. There, he met great local artistic references, such as Almada Negreiros and António Pedro.

In search of knowledge and expanding his repertoire as an artist and human being, the Rio native travels to several countries in Europe. He ends up choosing France, more precisely Paris, to live and study.

In the “City of Light”, he meets some of the main artistic geniuses in history, such as the master Pablo Picasso and the iconic Georges Braque. He regularly frequents the latter's studio, and soon exhibits in important salons in Paris.

In 1947 he decided to return to his homeland. Two years later he met his love of life, the painter Maria Leontina. He marries her and they both move to São Paulo.