The Owensboro Museum of Fine Art will open a new exhibition featuring the paintings and photography of Cuban American artist Carlos Gamez De Francisco with a public reception on Saturday, July 25.
The reception will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will feature live jazz, food, and an opportunity to meet the artist and view his work.
Gamez De Francisco, who was born in Holguín, Cuba, in 1987, was trained in an academic style heavily influenced by the Russian Academy. His paintings are known for their detailed figures, richly layered backgrounds, and imaginative use of animals alongside human subjects. His photography transforms everyday household objects into compositions inspired by royalty.
The artist first exhibited at the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art in 2022 as part of Artfull Connections, an exhibition featuring artists from Owensboro and Louisville. His work has since been displayed in galleries across the United States and internationally. Pieces are included in the collections of museums in Cuba, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri and Indiana, including the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art.
Executive Director Jason Hayden said Gamez De Francisco’s work combines technical excellence with a distinctive sense of humor and imagination.
“Carlos’ work combines both technical mastery of his medium, superb design, exquisite use of color and texture as well as surprising wit, humor and whimsy,” Hayden said. “He uses ordinary people and ordinary objects in combinations that recall the characteristics of much earlier epochs while maintaining his own modern artistic identity. His subjects retain their dignity while remaining supremely relatable.”
The exhibition will remain on display through Oct. 18.
Admission to the exhibition and museum is free. The museum is open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
