Ione Saldanha began her artistic production in the 1950s, focusing on urban scenes and portraits as recurring themes, featuring geometric figures that later transitioned into abstraction. During the late 1960s, she explored new artistic horizons by painting on unique supports like slats, spools, and bamboo, resulting in sophisticated compositions that juxtaposed with the natural texture of the materials. She took part in several editions of the São Paulo International Biennial, receiving an acquisition prize in 1967, and a dedicated room in 1975 and 1979. In the year of her death, the retrospective Ione Saldanha e a Simplicidade da Cor was held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Niterói (MAC/Niterói).