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Sônia Menna Barreto was born in São Paulo in 1953, where she currently lives and works. Since 1984, her artistic production has embodied the essence of homo ludens — the playful human. Her creative universe explores lands and characters that inhabit the imagination of people of all ages.

Her technique is rooted in the tradition of 15th-century Flemish painters, blending hyperrealism with the detailed French Trompe L’oeil technique. Her works are part of important private collections in Brazil and abroad.

In the 1980s, Sônia attended the studio of Luiz Portinari, brother of Cândido Portinari, at the Cândido Portinari Arts Center. During this time, she immersed herself in the artistic world, hearing stories and interacting with prominent painters, writers, and poets of the time. Influenced by the works of Max Ernst, De Chirico, Magritte, and Paul Delvaux, her work began to take a surrealist direction. This phase was pivotal in her career, pushing her to develop a more personal and intimate approach, solving technical and thematic challenges independently, without the guidance of instructors.

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