Salette Viana

Art Collect Store - Salette Viana

Born in 1950 in Portugal, Salette Viana did not immediately follow the path of art. It was in the 1980s that an aesthetic shock — sparked by the discovery of a painter’s work — awakened in her an unsuspected creative force. She then began a pictorial journey she describes as “a therapy,” an inner liberation fuelled by the joy of painting. Very quickly, this joy became a vocation: “Painting brought me immense happiness. I took lessons in renowned painters’ studios before opening my own workshop.” Settled in Monaco since the age of 25, she now lives and works in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, between sky, sea and Mediterranean light.

Born in 1950 in Portugal, Salette Viana did not immediately follow the path of art. It was in the 1980s that an aesthetic shock — provoked by the discovery of a painter’s work — awakened in her a powerful creative drive. She embarked on a pictorial adventure she describes as “a therapy,” an inner liberation carried by the pure pleasure of painting. Very quickly, this joy became a calling: “Painting has given me true happiness. I took classes in the studios of renowned painters before opening my own.” Having lived in Monaco since she was 25, she now lives and works in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, embraced by the sky, the sea and the Mediterranean light.

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Her work was presented in Monaco in a group exhibition organized by Art Collect®, marking a new step in recognition for the artist.

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Salette’s women leave no one indifferent. Their emotional power is unmistakable, carried by a singular style that blends classical influences with contemporary accents. Some evoke the elongated portraits of Modigliani, others recall the silhouettes of the Roaring Twenties, all while firmly anchoring their presence in our time. Their flamboyant hair, graceful bodies and soulful gazes captivate instantly. “Sometimes melancholic, sometimes joyful, mischievous or even playful, they are ready to start a conversation — perhaps even seduce you,” the artist says. These women, sometimes femme fatale, sometimes tender, embody the full spectrum of human emotion, sublimated through vivid colours, harmonious curves and a masterful sense of composition.

Her work is deeply sensory and intuitive, rooted in a form of spirituality and nourished by a poetic imagination. Salette Viana transforms femininity into a territory of creation, freedom and mystery, where each piece becomes the reflection of an inner state. She affirms: “Look a woman in the eyes — they will show you the condition of her heart.” A phrase reminiscent of Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal: “She carried in her eyes the strength of her heart.”

Art Collect Store - Salette Viana - Jeu de Masque
Art Collect Store - Salette Viana - Tentation

She has exhibited in numerous salons, galleries and shows in Monaco and abroad (Portugal, Malta, Italy, Turkey, Luxembourg, the Philippines, Brazil, the United States…), and Salette Viana has accumulated many distinctions. She won the Open des Artistes de Monaco in 2011, then received the International Award Galleria of Venice and the Sanremo Golden Palm in 2022. In 2023, she stood out with the Monte Carlo World Cup of Arts, the Côte d’Azur Trophy in Nice and the David di Michelangelo Prize. One of her works even appeared on the cover of Monaco’s telephone directory. Her artist rating was officially established by Akoun in July 2023, confirming the recognition of her talent.

In 2019, she was invited to the Museum and Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in the Philippines, marking an important milestone in her international journey. Beyond the awards, it is above all her expressive, colourful and deeply human style that captures attention. Each portrait becomes an open window onto an inner universe — a mirror of emotions the viewer can recognise within themselves.

 

TESTIMONIALS

When looking at the works of Salette Viana, you may find yourself unexpectedly surprised — and that’s rather unusual. For once, it’s not you doing the looking, but rather being looked at — or should I say, observed — in return, by various figures who assert a bold and unapologetic femininity. Who hasn’t been unsettled by the subtle power of a woman’s gaze? While we often consider the eyes to be windows to the soul, in Salette’s paintings, the gaze becomes the echo of far more complex realities. There is no such thing as a neutral gaze. The ones Salette depicts seem to capture, for eternity, a fleeting emotion — yet also appear to reflect a conscious decision: the choice to see you… or not. To observe you… or to shut you out entirely with a closed, inward stare that leaves you excluded from her universe.

Erik Isselé