Sedrick Huckaby’s show at Austin’s Blanton Museum including a portrait of George W. Bush, his student, brought us to the Texas Capital. The oversized portraits are few, but fill a room of considerable size. The former president’s gaze is directed towards a depiction of a quilt representing the human fabric of America. It is joined by a family of “Dreamers” and some of his neighbors in Fort Worth.
The trip to the Blanton also brought about our discovery of work by Louis Fratino (below). Additional alluring interior scenes are easily found through an Instagram hashtag, but the artist doesn’t appear to spend time promoting his work there. The painting by the young artist represents a bold purchase by the museum.
Mexic Arte on Congress Street here is showing selections from the collection of Juan Antonio Sandoval, which he donated to the museum prior to his death. He purchased the works to encourage artists around his El Paso home. Sandoval chose well – the collection includes significant pieces by Luis Jimenez, Oscar Martinez and chronicles an important segment of the Chicano Movement.
Further exploration of the Mexic Arte website and admiration of Sandoval’s collecting skills led to the work of Lupe Hernandez. A talented painter, Lupe transforms some of his works into “papel picado” (cut paper). Hernandez currently has works on display at Art Museum TX in Sugar Land near Houston.
Urban Art & Antiques 