José Leonilson

José Leonilson (1957, 1993) was a Brazilian artist whose intimate, confessional work blended text, embroidery, drawing, and painting to explore themes of love, desire, identity, and mortality. A leading figure of the Geração 80 movement in Brazil, he became known for his delicate embroidered canvases and works on fabric, which grew increasingly autobiographical as he documented his experience living with HIV/AIDS. His poetic visual language and vulnerability made him one of the most significant and emotionally resonant voices in Latin American contemporary art.