Biography
Ricardo de Vicq de Cumptich is a Brazilian visual artist, photographer, and graphic designer based in São Paulo whose multifaceted career spans commercial photography, fine art, graphic design, and printmaking. His participation in the Awagami International Miniature Print Exhibition reflects the breadth of his artistic practice, which extends from large-scale commercial commissions to intimate art prints.
De Vicq began his photographic career in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1960s, and through the 1970s ran his own studio there, shooting record covers and portraits for leading Brazilian musicians. He moved to São Paulo in 1985, where he established himself as one of Brazil's leading photographers in the food, drink, and still life genres. He has worked extensively in advertising and editorial photography, with his images appearing in major publications including Vogue, Marie Claire, and Elle, and he taught photography at ESPM in São Paulo.
Alongside his commercial work, de Vicq has pursued a distinguished career in fine art photography and printmaking, with personal projects exploring nudes, still life, and conceptual imagery. His fine art work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in locations including Los Angeles, Vermont, Paris, Florence, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. In 1994 he became the first Brazilian photographer honored with the cover of the Graphis Photo Annual, among numerous other awards.
De Vicq's connection to printmaking is expressed through his work with limited edition prints and archival pigment techniques. His 'Persona' series, which explores identity and portraiture through a contemporary graphic lens, led to his recognition at the 2021 Awagami International Miniature Print Exhibition, where 'Persona #22' received the Awagami Factory Prize. The digital print demonstrated his ability to bring the refined aesthetic sensibility of his photography and design practice to the intimate format of the miniature print.
His work in graphic design has also been recognized, highlighting the distinctive visual style he has developed across decades of practice. The breadth of his creative output — from commercial photography to fine art prints to graphic design — positions him as a versatile figure in Brazilian visual culture.
Key Facts
- Nationality
- 🇧🇷Brazil
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
- Subjects
- Portraits
- Works Indexed
- 1
Frequently Asked Questions
Ricardo de Vicq de Cumptich is a Brazilian visual artist, photographer, and graphic designer based in São Paulo whose multifaceted career spans commercial photography, fine art, graphic design, and printmaking. His participation in the Awagami International Miniature Print Exhibition reflects the breadth of his artistic practice, which extends from large-scale commercial commissions to intimate art prints.
Ricardo de Vicq de Cumptich's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Ricardo de Vicq de Cumptich's prints frequently feature portraits.