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World renowned Cuban artist Julio Larraz has an exhibition of his work at the Coral Gables Museum through Apr. 30. His paintings describe a wry wit and adventurous spirit.
Larraz was born in Havana, Cuba in 1944 and came to Miami in 1961. After that, he spent some time in New York.
His work is on display in different galleries around the world such as Galeria Duque Arango, Medellin, Colombia; Galleria D’arte Contini, Venice, Italy, and Miles McEnery Gallery, New York City. He also has displayed his work in Palm Beach and Miami.
The artist is happy to have his work on display in the City Beautiful.
“I am very grateful with the Coral Gables Museum and the board of directors that invited me to exhibit my work in their beautiful galleries,” Larraz wrote in an email.
Larraz, who now lives and works in South Miami, has a special connection to Coral Gables.
“I lived in Coral Gables for many years and, although I spend a lot of time in my studio in South Miami, I still enjoy a nice walk in the streets of Coral Gables,” he explained.
Anyone walking down Salzedo cannot miss his wonderful work outside of the Coral Gables Museum’s Robert and Marian Fewell Gallery. A fun and colorful sculpture of a slice of watermelon adorns the plaza outside the gallery.
Larraz described his pleasure with the sculpture.
“One of the fruits that I enjoy seeing as well as eating is the watermelon — seeing the light through it is as if it is made of rose quartz,” he said.
This work also was featured during Art Basel in Miami’s Bayfront Park in 2017.
His paintings are influenced by the surrealist school. Larraz paintings combine Caribbean motifs like the ocean, men in distinguished suits and women with sunglasses. Some of the interesting facets of the pieces are the combinations of people and other figures in the paintings. For example, there is one of a woman in a scuba diving suit pictured underwater with a small trident and an attaché case in her dominant hand and a shark swimming nearby. The painting is titled La Escolta de un Poeta.
Larraz has many works which depict combinations of realistic images of lobster claws, balloons, teacups and other images combined to create unusual but enjoyable paintings.
“One of the most important things, I think, in art is to make people enjoy what they see, more than to make them understand,” he said in an online video.
He was a caricaturist in the beginning and did work for The New York Times. But he considers himself lucky to be in Miami and to work with whom he calls the best and most professional people in the business. Larraz said that he also is lucky that he doesn’t have to travel four thousand miles to complete his projects.
For more information, visit the museum’s website at www.coralgablesmuseum.org.
