Kennedy Bahia Brazilian/ Chilean, 1929-2005

Kennedy Bahia was one of the pioneers in the expansion of the plastic arts in the state and became known for his cheerful and colorful tapestry.

In the 60s and 70s, Kennedy Bahia, who was very friendly with the writer Jorge Amado and also plastic artist Carybé, was considered the greatest tapestry artist in Brazil, having his collection Fauna e Flora da Bahia, from 1973, appreciated by collectors from all over the world.

The artist also contributed to the dissemination of Bahian culture, including adopting the name of the State and disseminating information about Bahia in all the countries to which he traveled with his works.

Born Patrick Maderos Kennedy Said, in 1929, in Valparaiso - Chile, Kennedy Bahia was a mining engineer in his country. He came into contact with the exoticism of Brazilian fauna and flora for the first time when he went to work in the Amazon region, first in the exploration of gold in the Bolivian jungle and then, already in Brazilian territory, in the upper Tapajós - Amazonas.

Convalescing from malaria, the Chilean engineer began his activity as a tapestry. The impressions of the jungle, however, never left his mind and his works are characterized by the use of the Amazonian fauna and flora. When he moved to Bahia in the 1960s, he also began to include folkloric motifs of Afro-Baian culture in his works.

Source: https://blombo.com/artistas/kennedy-bahia/