Title
A Resolution of the City Commission approving a temporary exhibition of the sculpture “Mars” by Julio Larraz at the Coral Gables Museum.
Body
The Coral Gables Museum approached the City with a request for the temporary exhibition of the sculpture “Mars” by artist Julio Larraz.
The Coral Gables Museum is presenting a retrospect of Julio Larraz’s artwork for Art Basel 2021 and as their featured winter exhibition. The Museum expressed an interest to include sculpture as part of the exhibition, which was discussed with the Arts Advisory Panel and Cultural Development Board. At the time of their discussion, the selected artwork and location was to be determined. Both the Panel and Board supported the exhibition unanimously including outdoor installation of artwork.
The exhibition is scheduled December 1 through April 30, 2021 with installation of the artwork anticipated two weeks in advance and de-installation scheduled within a week of the exhibition closing.
The Museum understands that a permit and insurance is required for installation of the sculpture and that no City fees will be used toward the installation.
About the art:
Larraz’s sculpture “Mars” is a cast bronze over-sized watermelon slice balanced on a bronze cabinet. The artist’s large-scale sculptures offer a vivid experience inspired by his painting and figurative work. His creations are said to suggest new realities of sociological and historical allegories.
About the artist:
Accomplished painter, sculptor, and draftsman, Julio Larraz has transcended time and place for more than 50 years to become one of the most influential figures in Latin American and American art. Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1944, Larraz is both a Cuban and an American artist.
The development of Larraz’s work is based on studies which he then builds into larger works. He pays attention to the appearances and expressions of people he encounters in his daily life and travels, and these faces, in turn, often come to life in his work as characters from other worlds, places, and times. Larraz refers to this collection of ideas in his imagination as “The Kingdom We Carry Inside.”
Larraz has exhibited throughout the world and is in renowned collections including the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art in Ithaca, New York; Fort Lauderdale Museum; Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogota, Colombia; Museo de Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico; Westmoreland Museum of Art, Greensburg Pennsylvania; Boca Raton Museum of Art; and Perez Art Museum among others.
The Arts Advisory Panel discussed the artist’s exhibition and supported an outdoor installation at their meeting on May 26, 2021. The Cultural Development Board reviewed the Arts Advisory Panel meeting minutes on June 30, 2021 and accepted their comments.