“This is the first time an exhibition presents paintings from five different decades by Roberto Juarez, illuminating his position in the canon of art history in the New York art world,” says Tiffany Benincasa, the owner and curator of C. Parker Gallery. “We are honored to present this never-before-seen grouping of his distinct eras of artmaking, for our tenth anniversary season.”
The C. Parker Gallery presents the new exhibition Roberto Juarez: Crossing Five Decades, on view February 28 through April 15. The gallery show features works created by the New York artist between 1983 and 2023. “This is the first time an exhibition presents paintings from five different decades by Roberto Juarez, illuminating his position in the canon of art history in the New York art world,” says Tiffany Benincasa, the owner and curator of C. Parker Gallery. “We are honored to present this never-before-seen grouping of his distinct eras of artmaking, for our tenth anniversary season.”
Juarez’s artistic trajectory is the stuff of New York legends. In 1981, the East Village underground arts icon Ellen Stewart offered Juarez an artist studio in an abandoned garage owned by the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. The space, on First Street between Bowery and Second Avenue, had no electricity and was offered to Juarez rent-free. That same year, Juarez was showcased in the New York/New Wave group show curated by Diego Cortez, who united the downtown scene for this history-making exhibition.
Juarez’s milestones include: a Guggenheim Fellowship in Painting; the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award; and the Rome Prize Fellowship from the American Academy in Rome. One of his paintings was selected for the book jacket cover of the Whitney Biennial Catalogue in 1987. Juarez was chosen for a public commission mural installation in Grand Central Station in 1997, and several art in public places commissions through the years, including Miami International Airport. Works by Juarez are in the collections of major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (CA), the Brooklyn Museum, El Museo del Barrio (NY), Perez Art Museum Miami, and the Denver Art Museum, among others.
“This selection of artworks represents the feeling of crossing through different eras of my work,” says Roberto Juarez. “For me, it’s important that my love of painting comes through. I want the joy in my work to always be essential.” For this new gallery show in Greenwich, CT, the gallery owner wanted people to be immersed in color. Juarez’s mother was from Puerto Rico, and his father was from Mexico. “What I’m painting is often tropical looking, and yet sometimes created in the dead of winter in my studio in Canaan, NY where we can have mountains of snow every day. I think part of this is responding to memory, to my experience of something colorful. The severity of the winter experience in my studio makes me enjoy colorful imagery even more,” adds Juarez.
“The sanctuary I envision through my art is a place where unexpected things happen, where ancient stories intertwine with contemporary experiences, and where the audience can participate, almost dance, with the paintings,” says Juarez. “My intention is to invite viewers to connect with the rich cultural tapestry of human history and the boundless possibilities of creativity.”
