Famed Pop Artist Romero Britto Gets Star on Miami Walk of Fame That he Designed

MIAMI, FL — Famed pop artist Romero Britto received a star on Miami's Walk of Fame Thursday, which was only fitting considering it was the Brazilian-born artist who came up with the design for the city's stars in the first place.

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Britto is known for creating modern canvases that incorporate elements of the so-called Cubism movement in which subjects are portrayed in abstract ways.

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The artist says that his bold and colorful patterns reflect his optimistic view of the world around him in a visual language of hope and happiness.

Regalado also named Britto Cultural Ambassador for the City of Miami at the ceremony that took place at the front entrance of Bayside Marketplace along the Walk of Fame. Bayside is among the city's most iconic outdoor shopping centers at 401 Biscayne Boulevard Drive.

Self-taught at an early age, Britto painted on scraps of paper or cardboard or any medium he could find before coming into his own and traveling to Paris where he was introduced to the works of Matisse and Picasso, according to his website.

Britto's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in more than 100 countries, including the Salon de la Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts exhibition at the Carrousel du Louvre in 2008 and 2010.

In 2013, Maria Elena and Carlos Slim Domit invited Romero to be the first living artist to exhibit at Museo Soumaya. He has created public art installations for the 02 Dome in Berlin, New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, Cirque Du Soleil at Super Bowl XLI, and has been credited with the largest monumental sculpture in London's Hyde Park history.

Britto served as an official artist for the 2010 World Cup, Ambassador to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and was recently invited to be an honorary torch bearer for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Britto's pop sensibility has been featured in collaborations with international brands such as Audi, Bentley, Coca-Cola, Walt Disney, Evian, Hublot, and Mattel, according to his website.

Photos courtesy of the city of Miami