Carlos Gamez De Francisco

Carlos Gamez de Francisco was born in post-revolutionary Cuba in 1987, to a Cuban-Spanish mother and a Cuban-American father. He grew up in Cuba and was educated in an academic style heavily influenced by the Russian Academy. At age five, he determined, with absolute certainty, that he would be an artist. By the time he was fifteen, Gamez de Francisco was diligently painting 8 hours a day, every day. Today, he often spends 15 hours a day painting and feels “very blessed to do what I love.”

Gamez de Francisco arrived in the United States with $650 at the age of 21 knowing no English. He spent $600 on art supplies and $50 on a pair of Cortez running shoes – “just like the ones Forrest Gump wore to run across the United States.” He committed himself to learn 100 English words every day, studying diligently, working and painting at night. For the first five months, he lived in America without sleep. His exceptional talent, hard work, and perseverance led him to earn artistic commissions and recognition.

Gamez de Francisco paints and photographs very passionately, making statements filled with symbolism. He frequently includes insects in his artwork. He says: Flying insects represent FREEDOM; Falling insects represent CHAOS; When...

EDUCATION
2016  School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Distinguished Scholarship.
2006  Jose Marti Fine Arts School. Holguin, Cuba
2004  Raul Gomez Garcia Fine Arts School.  Holguin, Cuba
Independent study with Cuban artists Miguel Angel Salvo, Cosme Proenza, and Harry Ruiz.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS (SELECTED)
2021 Six Shades of Sunlight, Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
New Work, Portland Art Gallery, Portland, Maine
New Work, CV Art and Frame, Zionsville, IN
2020 Dancing on the Couch, Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
Keeneland Couture, New Editions Gallery, Lexington, KY
Personality Plus, Kore Gallery, Louisville, KY
2019 New Works, Weinberger Fine Art, Kansas City, MO
“Modern Nobility”, Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
“Specimen Lost in a Tropical Island”, New Editions Gallery, Lexington, KY
2018 “An Uncommon Vision:  Equines, Archetypes, and Allegories”, New Editions Gallery, Lexington, KY
“The Power of the Powerless”. Moremen Moloney Contemporary, Louisville, KY
2017 New Work. Kenise Barnes Fine Art, Larchmont, NY
“FAQ’s 1789-1987”. Moremen Moloney Contemporary, Louisville, KY
2015 “Troubling Beauty: Myth and Metaphor in Contemporary Costume Drama”. 21c Museum, Bentonville,
AR
2014 “Troubling Beauty: Myth and Metaphor in Contemporary Costume Drama”. 21c Museum, Louisville,
KY
“Size Matters”. The Green Building Galle...