Cuban born artist Carlos Gamez de Francisco imbues his portraiture-style artworks with a bright, distorted reality that challenges the classical aesthetics of yesteryear. Through superimposition and manipulation, he deconstructs and reconstructs the figures in his paintings, incorporating his personal experiences and knowledge of historical figures and events.
Francisco's oeuvre reflects the influences of his Cuban upbringing in a Russian governed academia setting, where the emphasis on figurative art was at odds with the censorship of contemporary artistic expression. The artist's nonconformist spirit led him to reexamine the veracity of history and its representation, resulting in a decontextualization of epochs and artistic symbols. This approach allows him to bridge the past and present, creating a connection that challenges our perception of the historical narrative.
Francisco's artistic practice is steeped in a near-obsessive dedication to storytelling and the past, resulting in the creation of an illusory world that provides an escape from reality. Through this process, he transforms classical beauty into a natural process, demystifying its traditional allure while simultaneously redefining it. The result is a provocative and engaging body of work that invites the viewer to question their own understanding of history, beauty, and the human condition.
Carlos Gamez de Francisco earned his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2016, establishing a strong foundation for a practice that brings together historical references, contemporary visual culture, and meticulous draftsmanship. Since completing his studies, he has developed an international exhibition record, with work presented throughout the United States and abroad.
His paintings are held in private and public collections, including the 21c Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Cubaocho Museum in Miami, Florida. Gamez de Francisco has also received recognition through numerous awards and large-scale public projects. Among these is a mural created for Google, reflecting the growing visibility of his work beyond the traditional gallery setting.
This combination of museum representation, international exhibitions, and prominent public projects has contributed to his reputation as a distinctive contemporary voice. His work continues to attract collectors drawn to its technical precision, theatrical composition, and imaginative reinterpretation of art-historical imagery.
