Mily Possoz

(Lisbon, Portugal, 1889 - 1967, Cintra, Portugal)

Europe, Portugese

Mily Possoz was born in Lisbon, to Belgian parents. At the age of eighteen she went to Paris to study at La Grande Chaumière and the Académie Julian. After further studies in Dusseldorf and Brussels, Mily Possoz made Paris her home until 1937, and was a prominent member of La Jeune Gravure Contemporaine. In Paris, she lived with the Portuguese Modernist painter Eduardo Alfonso Viana, through whom she became close to Robert and Sonia Delaunay. Back in Portugal, Mily Possoz was a member of the group Cooperativa Gravura from its foundation in 1956 until her death. The Portugal of her childhood was a constant source of inspiration, but her chief theme was womanhood and motherhood. This female focus, alongside the exquisite grace and subtlety of her line, meant that the praise for the art of Mily Possoz tended to emphasise its "decorative" and "charming" qualities, and overlook the strong Modernist momentum of her art, which was influenced by Fauvism, Cubism, and Surrealism. The influence of both Modigliani and Picasso can be seen in her prints.

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