“Stop and examine this small but mighty artwork, "A Torso / Toxic Drawing," by Romero Britto. Its bold colors and collage technique create a lively, almost puzzle-like image of a human form, offering a unique take on pop art.”
This vibrant work, titled "A Torso / Toxic Drawing," immediately draws the eye with its riot of color and pattern. A headless, limbless torso, rendered in a mosaic of bright hues and bold lines, dominates the small composition. The figure is not anatomically realistic, but rather a playful, almost abstract form, pieced together from various patterned segments that suggest clothing or perhaps even internal organs reimagined as decorative elements. Look closely and you'll see the work is a collage, with torn and stapled pieces of white wove paper forming the base, over which acrylic paint, colored pencil, and black fiber-tipped pen have been applied. This layering of materials adds a tactile quality, making the surface as interesting as the image itself. The dynamic interplay of geometric shapes, stripes, and polka dots creates a sense of movement and energy, characteristic of the neo-pop and pop art movements.
- Artist
- Romero Britto
- Date
- 2011
- Medium
- Acrylic paint, colored pencil, and black fiber-tipped pen on collage of torn and stapled white wove paper
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- 29.3 × 31.5 cm (11 9/16 × 12 7/16 in.)
- Collection
- Prints and Drawings
- Culture
- United States
- Credit line
- Gift of Karen Lennox Gallery
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The visible staples holding the paper collage together.
The distinct patterns on each segment of the torso, like a patchwork quilt.
The bright, almost neon colors used for the figure.
The stark black outlines that define each shape and pattern.
1 more detail is waiting.
See all 5 in Art Whisper →Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through A Torso / Toxic Drawing — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
Romero Britto
1963 · BrazilRomero Britto, the Brazilian neo-pop artist, transforms cubism and graffiti into vibrant expressions of joy, famously designing for Absolut Vodka and Disney.
Further Works by Britto
Portrait of General José Manuel Romero
Art Institute of Chicago
Ray Yoshida Says Hi
2017 · Art Institute of Chicago
Jorge Romero Brest—Homenaje
1989 · Art Institute of Chicago
Jar with Chongo
1998 · Art Institute of Chicago
Pedro Romero killing the halted bull, plate 30 from The Art of Bullfighting
Art Institute of Chicago
More works to explore
Beyond Britto: works from the same years.
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Kiki (Smith)
Chuck Close · 2000 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Near the Lagoon
Jasper Johns · 2002 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Oonagh MacCumhail: The Case of the Entered Novitiate
Matthew Barney · 2002 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
American Horizon
Jane Wooster Scott · 2000 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Daisies
Michele Elizabeth Field · 2005 · Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Cremaster 2: Deseret
Birgit Cullberg · 1999 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Untitled (Self-Portrait)
Matthew Monahan · 2007 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Urns (Set of 8)
Thomas Schütte · 1999 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1990s–2020s
Evening suit
John Galliano · 1997 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
