Quick Facts
Biography
María Gabriela Brito (born 1976) is a Venezuelan-born designer, curator, art advisor, and author based in New York City. Her published works include Out There: Design, Art, Travel Shopping, published by Pointed Leaf Press in 2013, and Greek Gotham, published in 2016.
Early life
Brito was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She graduated from Católica University in Caracas and then from Harvard Law School in 2000.
Career
After law school, Brito moved to New York City to pursue a career as a corporate attorney. She started collecting contemporary art in the same year while working at the law firm of Cahill Gordon & Reindel. After nine years practicing law and acquiring art, Brito opened her own interior design and art advisory company, then called Lifestyling by Maria Brito (now María Brito, LLC).
Brito has worked as an art consultant and interior designer for Sean "Diddy" Combs, Gwyneth Paltrow and Tracy Anderson, among others.
In 2014, Brito launched her first collection of luxury fashion accessories in collaboration with contemporary artists Kenny Scharf, Erik Parker and Carlos Rolon/Dzine, and the collaborations have expanded to include more than 50 different products designed by Brito with a variety of artists including Katherine Bernhardt, Nir Hod and assume vivid astro focus. Brito is also a writer and public speaker about the interdisciplinary approach of integrating art and design.
Greek Gotham
In the summer of 2016, Brito curated her first contemporary art show, titled Greek Gotham, in Mykonos, Greece. Consisting solely of New York-based artists, the exhibit featured works from assume vivid astro focus, Nina Chanel Abney, Greg Bogin, Mira Dancy, Raul De Nieves, Michael Dotson, Sebastian Errazuriz, Nir Hod, Todd James, Misaki Kawai, KAWS, Robert Lazzarini, Austin Lee, Taylor McKimens, Matthew Palladino and Erik Parker.
Publications
In 2013, Brito’s monograph Out There: Design, Art, Travel, Shopping was released. The book outlines her personal experiences transitioning from law into a creative entrepreneur, her initial art and design projects as well as an insider's guide to art and design. Published by Pointed Leaf Press, it was the recipient of the USA Best Book Awards in both the Art and Design Categories, and received reviews from TIME, DuJour Magazine, and Vogue Mexico.
Greek Gotham, an art catalogue published by Dio Horia in conjunction with the exhibit, was released in 2016. It features an introduction by Jeffrey Deitch.