Maria Martins' sculpture “Comme une liane” is a highlight in Almeida & Dale's booth at Art Basel Miami 2024

Comme une liane [Like a Vine] (c. 1946) exemplifies Brazilian sculptor Maria Martins’ mesmerizing figures, merging attributes of sprawling vegetation with human flesh. In the sculpture, a woman's arms and legs are twisted and turned as if they were liana vines. Declaring herself a sculptor “from the tropics,” Martins frequently drew upon Amazonian mythologies and the flora and fauna of the region, carrying out symbolic explorations of physical and erotic desire which challenged the moral codes of her time. 

Outside of Brazil, Martins moved among Surrealist circles, including André Breton and Marcel Duchamp. She gained prominence in the United States, where she lived in the 1940s and where her work is included in institutions such as MoMA and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  

Comme une liane will be on view at Almeida & Dale's booth F3 at Art Basel Miami Beach 2024.