Maria Eugênia Villarta

Her works are part of the artistic collections of the Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo, the Municipal Chamber of Santarém, Portugal, and the City Hall of Vinhedo, State of São Paulo.

• Name — Maria Eugênia Villarta • Born — 25 January 1958 • Birthplace — Taubaté, São Paulo, Brazil • Occupation — Plastic artist, businesswoman and former fashion model • Children — 5

Maria Eugênia began her career in 1977, at the age of 18, when she decided on her own initiative to go to an agency to try her hand at modeling. After some photos, a book and some contacts, she was soon called by Editora Abril for her first job, the January 1978 cover of Claudia. Although she was not tall – 1.63 meters tall – her unusual beauty, along with a harmonious face from any angle, combined with great photogenicity, immediately opened the doors to the world of fashion, making her grace covers and editorials for several magazines, including Nova, Manequim and Vogue, as well as important work as an exclusive model for Marcelo Beauty and for L'Oréal. Called by Hans Donner, she participated in the opening of the eight o'clock soap opera on TV Globo Champagne, which was shown between October 24, 1983, and May 4, 1984, which brought her great national prominence. Her career as a model also took her abroad, having lived for months in New York City, United States. Regarded as the model who has made the most magazine covers in Brazil to date, she has had her face printed on approximately 300 magazines. 250 of these photos were exhibited by Taubaté Shopping in 1994, in the exhibition As mil e uma faces de Maria Eugênia (The Maria Eugênia's One Thousand and One Faces) — among the photos, those of the opening of the soap opera Champagne, from TV Globo, various posters, catalogues, advertisements in magazines, editorials and even billboards of makeup campaigns. In 1980, she made a small appearance in the soap opera Água Viva, by Gilberto Braga, playing the character Cristina.

In 2004, recognized as a Taubatean personality for her artistic contribution to local and Brazilian culture, she was awarded the city's highest honor: the Jacques Félix Commendation. On September 26, 2022, the businesswoman received the title of Cidadã Paulistana from the Municipal Chamber of São Paulo for her services provided to the city. The businesswoman is married to the engineer Jomar Cardoso since 1976, with whom she moved permanently to São Paulo in 1978 and has five children.