Cernuda Arte – Opening – Three New Exhibitions
Friday, 03/07/2025-, 06:00 pm-09:00 pm
Cernuda Arte
3155 Ponce de Leon Blvd.,
Coral Gables, Florida, 33134
Website
Cost: Free

Coral Gables, FL – Cernuda Arte is thrilled to present its three new springtime exhibitions. The official opening of these shows will be held at 3155 and 3143 Ponce de León Blvd, Coral Gables, FL, on Friday, March 7th, 6-9 pm.

25 Artworks from the 19th Century – Havana in the nineteenth century was already a wealthy, highly developed city and one of the most promising metropolises of the New World. In the mid-nineteenth century, the city was considered by many to be the Paris of the Caribbean. The intimate relationship with the mother country, Spain, and the intense commerce with the quickly developing economic powerhouse, the United States, facilitated the cultural development of the island of Cuba, and primarily of its capital.

This exhibition explores the development of art in Cuba via the three dominant genres of the colonial times, i.e. portraits, landscapes, and religious imagery. The two founders of art in Cuba, Nicolás de la Escalera and Vicente Escobar, are represented in this show. Works by the three Chartrand brothers, Esteban, Philippe, and Augusto Chartrand, descendants of a wealthy French family, are exhibited together in Miami for the first time, along with paintings of the Melero family—Miguel, the father and director of the San Alejandro Academy for decades, and his sons Miguel Angel and Aurelio. Other artists represented are the Belgian Henri Cleenewerck, the Spaniards Víctor Patricio de Landaluze, José Carol and Miguel Arias, along with the “criollos” Armando Menocal, Leopoldo Romañach, Federico Sulroca, and Antonio Rodríguez Morey.

Flora Fong (b. 1949): A Lifetime of Excellence showcases five important paintings by Flora Fong. Over her four-decade career, the artist has gained international acclaim and awards, with her work featured at prestigious institutions such as the Art Museums of the Americas in Washington D.C., the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana, the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada, and the Sonje Museum of Contemporary Art in South Korea. This special presentation honors Fong’s achievements through representative paintings on canvas featuring the artist’s favorite symbols – roosters, mountains, hurricane winds, tropical fruits, sunflowers, and the Caribbean Sea, among others – all executed in vivid color.

Danuel Méndez (b. 1989): Recent Works from the Flowers Series presents a new collection of paintings by the rising star. In this series, Méndez continues his exploration of tropical plants, blending contemporary expressionism with classical elements. His reimagined abstract flora appears in iconic vases, such as Ming and Qing dynasty porcelains and ancient Greek urns, offering new perspectives on the connections between culture, art, humanity, and nature. Méndez’s works have been exhibited in important international art fairs throughout the United States, including EXPO Chicago, Art Miami, Art Wynwood, Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, the Dallas Art Fair, and Philadelphia Fine Art, and can be found in distinguished private collections across the country.

The gallery also continues its acclaimed exhibitions, A Surrealist Century and a corresponding Wifredo Lam retrospective. These interconnected and curated exhibitions explore the surrealist movement’s century-long history, tracing its transformative journey from Europe to Latin America, the emergence and development of Magic Realism, and artists like Wifredo Lam’s roles as a bridge between the avant-garde scenes of Paris
and Havana.

About the Exhibitions:
Opening Reception: Friday, March 7th, 6:00-9:00 pm
Location: Cernuda Arte, 3155 & 3143 Ponce de León Blvd, Coral Gables, FL
Gallery Hours: 10:00am – 6:00pm Monday through Friday, Noon – 5pm Saturday

For more information, please visit cernudaarte.com or contact the gallery at (305) 461 1050, or by e-mail at cernudaarte@msn.com.