Lena da Bahia. Untitled. n.d.
Oil on wood
About the artist
Lena da Bahia (1937–2015) was born in Salvador, Bahia.
Lenice Simões Neves was a self-taught artist who developed her work in tapestry and painting within the primitivist tradition. Her works depict scenes typical of Salvador: baianas, orixás and elements of candomblé, the characteristic architecture of the Pelourinho, the street festivals and samba circles.
She was considered one of the finest primitivist tapestry makers in Salvador, praised for her refined craft and use of vibrant colour, and took part in numerous solo and group exhibitions in the city and elsewhere in Brazil. Born in the Mares neighbourhood in 1937, she began in the 1960s by painting for friends, and never stopped.