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Big works from artists with big ambitions were on display last month at Evey Fine Art.
“I have a big heart and big dreams. I love big art,” said Antonio Guerrero, standing in front of his 5-foot-high painting of a green-eyed rabbit handing a flower to a red-beaked bird.
Large – and a few small – paintings and porcelain fill the high-ceilinged gallery on the southwest corner of Seaview Avenue and South County Road. One of the largest paintings, a sepia canvas depicting airplanes and buildings, is about 13 feet by 9 feet. The most expensive painting is about $85,000.
One of those paintings is by Alejandro Leyva, a native of Matanzas, Cuba. His 7-foot-by-9-foot acrylic painting depicts terrified people crammed on a tiny ship struggling to stay afloat on a stormy sea.
A woman hugs a sleeping child. A couple kiss. Candles are gripped in the blackness. A person clings to a dead bird. Taut fingers reach up from the tossing waves, vainly trying to grab the gunwale to climb aboard.
“Many people from Cuba drowned coming to America trying to find their dream,” said Leyva.
Large paintings by Leyva’s brother Estaban, a professor in Havana, are also on display.
With vibrant orange, green and blue colors, one of his two paintings depicts a village scene. Sailboats, hearts, swimming fish and houses are scattered in the painting that measures about 8 feet by 6 feet
“Estaban is a very happy man. He paints every single day of his life,” said Patricia Scremin, one of the organizers of the opening.
Carla Berenice Groh, owner of the gallery, said customers expressed a desire for large art while she had a gallery on Worth Avenue two years ago. She closed that gallery last summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A native of Germany, Groh came to Palm Beach after working in the art world in Vienna, Switzerland, France and Chicago. A speaker of five languages, she became a Palm Beach resident after opening the Worth Avenue art gallery.
“Palm Beach reminds me of St. Moritz,” she said, referring to the Swiss resort town. “It’s seasonal and small. You get to know the clientele, who are knowledgeable, sophisticated and appreciate art.”
As she spoke, about a dozen visitors sipped wine and viewed artwork addressing issues such as immigration, birth, urban living and relationships.
Groh selected contemporary Latin American art as the theme to highlight nine emerging and established artists. The exhibit runs until May 15.
“These artists are not timid. Their art is colorful. It’s vibrant. It’s deeply meaningful,” Groh said.
The paintings originally were to be displayed in the windows. But after talking with other artists and art dealers, Groh decided to leave the windows clear and display the artwork inside.
“The artwork needs the inside space to be unfold. And people can see inside at night,” she said.
Another advantage to large paintings is that they are usually the only object on a wall.
“Having several pieces of artwork on a wall is like listening to several people in a conversation. You get more out of a conversation when you are talking to one person,” she said.
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If You Go:
What: Exhibit of contemporary Latin American art, through May 15
Where: Evey Fine Art, 240 S. County Road
Admission: Free
Information: artevey.com
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