Maria Martins produced bronze sculptures characterized by dreamlike, surrealist-inspired forms that present nature as an allegory of desire’s power in contrast to the politeness of Western civilization. By merging untamed nature with elements of the unconscious, Martins created works with a striking visual impact, charged with eroticism, violence, but also a certain docility and lyricism. 

The artist lived in several countries and began her sculpture studies in Paris with Catherine Barjanski and in Brussels with Jasper Oscar. Between 1939 and 1948, she lived in the United States, where she studied engraving and bronze sculpture. During this period, Martins produced a significant portion of her work, gaining recognition in avant-garde circles from the 1940s onwards. She drew attention with exhibitions at the Corcoran Art Gallery in Washington and the Valentine Gallery in New York. Throughout her career, Martins maintained a strong interest in themes related to Brazilian myths and legends, which fascinated many surrealist artists who had settled in the U.S. at the time. 

In 1950, she returned to Brazil permanently, and from that point on, her work evolved, moving away from the figuration of her early career and drawing closer to abstraction. However, she never completely abandoned the influences of her time among the surrealists in New York. 

Martins participated in several editions of the Bienal de São Paulo (1951, 1953, 1955, 1965, 1973, 1979, 1987 e 1998), and has recently been the subject of retrospectives at MAM São Paulo (2013), and MASP, São Paulo, Brazil (2022). Her works are part of the collections of major international museums such as the MoMA, USA; and Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA; as well as Brazilian public collections such as MASP; MAM São Paulo; MAM Rio de Janeiro; Museu de Arte Contemporânea da USP – MAC USP; Pinacoteca de São Paulo; among other institutions.