Ulisses Pereira Chaves

Ulisses Pereira Chaves was a Brazilian sculptor renowned for his imaginative and expressive ceramic works. Born in 1929 in Córrego Santo Antônio, near Caraí, in the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, he was one of few men in a region where ceramic production was predominantly a female tradition. He was deeply influenced by his mother, Domingas Pereira do Santos, a skilled ceramist herself.

Chaves's practice involved creating large-scale, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic sculptures using pink clay, with red and white engobes for detailing. His works often feature multiple heads or hybrid forms, reflecting a unique blend of human and animal characteristics. Notably, he signed his pieces with the initials "UP" and incorporated coffee bean-shaped eyes, a distinctive feature in his sculptures.

His work has been exhibited both in Brazil and internationally, including the Brésil, Arts Populaires exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris (1987) and the Commemorative Exhibition of Brazil's 500th Anniversary in São Paulo (2000). His pieces are held in prominent collections such as the Museu Casa do Pontal (Rio de Janeiro) and the Museu do Folclore Edison Carneiro.