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 Vallarta Living | Art Talk | December 2006 
Old Acquaintances, New Art at Galleria Dante
 PVNN
| | Yvan Genest's "The Invitation" is just one of the works on display at this week's Meet the Artist Night at Galleria Dante, located at Basilio Badillo 269 in Puerto Vallarta's Romantic Zone. For more information, call 222-2477. To see some of the other art work on display at Galeria Dante, visit GalleriaDante.com. |
As they begin their 12th season at Galleria Dante, owners Claire and Joe Guarniere wish to thank all of the Puerto Vallarta residents and visitors who have supported their endeavors since 1988 when they first opened Pizza Joe, whose continued support has made their gallery the "Best Gallery in Vallarta."
For more than 11 years, Galleria Dante has been featuring the works of Mexican and International artists, representing over 100 artists in their 6000 square foot show room and sculpture garden in Puerto Vallarta's Romantic Zone.
The gallery recently received new sculptures by Luis Espiridion, Alvaro Zardoni, Jonas Gutierrez, Israel Zzepda and John Anderson, in addition to some new paintings by Rogelio Diaz, Pipo Brockman, Richard Baker, Yvan Genest, Laurie Chase and Jean-Gabriel Lambert, which will be on display at this week's cocktail reception.
And for those of you who always ask about their daughter Gena, (who many have known since before she could walk,) she will be home from college and playing hostess at the gallery's Meet the Artists Night on the 27th from 6 to 10 pm.
Fourteen artists will also be in attendance at this show, including:
Yvan Genest – A recent trip to Los Angeles for a one-man show opened new doors for him. Yvan’s new “Magico Manos” series is very exciting. After years showing in Paris, he now divides his time between Montreal, Vallarta and Yelapa. He also produced a catalogue this summer to promote his works.
Jean-Gabriel Lambert – Vibrant color best describes the paintings by this sensitive French artist. His paintings, a mesh of strong brush strokes and vibrant colors are forceful. You feel his passion and love of life in his use of colors. This year he will also work in acrylics, whereas for years all his paintings were oils. This energetic, young man warms the heart of all who meet him.
Lee Chapman - Aside from his fun Lencho style, he also paints more seriously under his given name, but still with a tongue in cheek humor. Lee has a great following of clients for his paintings, as well as his children’s books. Come view his new Tango dancer and his Bather series. Often said to be Botero in style, they are not, but for many viewers portly figures are synonymous with Botero.
Pipo Brockman – Pipo’s works in a loose style that is very refreshing: both his portraits of humans, as well as his portraits of Mexican hairless dogs. He is relaxed, his smile warm, his family and his dogs are his models and his support. We are happy to have him join our team this season.
Bill White – If you have seen Bill’s portraits, you know how talented he is. After painting the famous Xuitla dancers, he decided he needed to paint other subjects. He is passionate about Mexico, so he decided to paint portraits of charras & charros. Recently seeing the Xuitla dancers perform again, he was inspired to paint another series of these beautiful young women.
Javier Lampreabe – Hails from Argentina. Javier used to paint large murals and worked in theatre. Most of his paintings have a dream-like quality. There are many hidden messages in his works, including spiritual elements. The paintings have a peacefulness, as does the artist. Today you will find him and Carolina building their house from scratch, which will include a new studio for Javier.
James Knowles – Hails from Kent, England, but has been living in Mexico more than 20 years. As every prolific artist, he is always experimenting. Currently exhibiting an on the edge line of sensual paintings, in addition to his floral paintings. Since the birth of his son almost 2 years ago, he has been more experimental with new ideas and subject matter, everything from beach scenes to markets.
John Anderson – Copper fountains, pelicans, herons and wildlife are John’s forte. The sound of water falling has been a big draw to get people into the sculpture garden area of the gallery. The light dances off the copper and as the light hits them, it shines. John is always open to commission work and will soon deliver a large rain tree to the gallery.
David Leonard – Mosaic glass best describes his work: tables, beds, chairs, room dividers, serving bowls, flower vases, mirrors, even kitchen counters. If you have frequented the restaurant, Vite-A, you will have seen his tables and chairs. David just returned from several shows this summer in the US, including one at Lincoln Center in New York.
Richard Baker – Best known for his water colors, he is also gaining any collectors of his oils, which he started painting at age 80. Richard was recently asked to paint a Vallarta theme, he was inspired by the Viva girls, so immortalized them on his canvas. In the watercolors, his use of the white paper amazes professionals. His oils have a softness in his brush stroke and use of color, that resembles watercolor.
Rogelio Diaz – Has a unique style, but has definitely been influenced by Picasso and Basquiat. Rogelio believes that we all have something of a child within us. The older we grow, the closer we come to returning to the innocence of childhood. You either like or dislike his paintings, he leaves little room for middle ground. But collectors who would have never considered his works in years past have now become fond admirers of his work.
Edgar Martinez – Young and very talented are two words to describe Edgar. No one re-invents himself each year more than he. His latest creations of marble powder mixed with oil, painstakingly layered to create textures that leave the viewer wanting to see more. Edgar also draws from his Mexican culture to create the subjects in his paintings – often using Oaxacan women, in honor of his mother.
Bill Megrail – His landscapes are an extension of where he lives, as Bill paints plein air. We currently exhibit banana plantations, cactus fields, floral gardens with a view of the ocean and garden scenes of San Miguel. His commitment to detail shows in his finished masterpieces which you feel you can walk into.
Cherie Sibley - When she is not selling real estate or giving painting classes, she is traveling the world to photograph material for her own paintings. This year, she traveled to Ecuador and Morocco, a series of portraits resulted from her travels. Cherie also made her mark on the local art scene by painting famous people’s cats – everything from Andrew Lloyd Weber, Marilyn Munroe to Jack the Ripper’s cat.
Galleria Dante will be open limited hours during Christmas and New Years, so if you are planning to visit the gallery during the holidays, please call 222-2477 for optional viewing times.
The gallery's "Meet the Artists" night will continue every other Wednesday through April 4th. In the next few weeks they will be receiving new paintings from Oscar Capeche, who will be visiting from Chile for the month of January. Guillermo Gomez and Israel Zzepda will be attending shows in late January.
Open Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm, Galeria Dante is located at Basilio Badillo 269 in Puerto Vallarta's Romantic Zone. For more information, call 222-2477, or send an email to info@galleriadante.com. To see some of the art work on display at Galeria Dante, visit GalleriaDante.com. |
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