Carlos Gamez de Francisco
United States
Biography
Carlos Gamez de Francisco (b. 1987, Holguín, Cuba) lives and works between Fort Myers, Florida, and Louisville, Kentucky. His practice is distinguished by a highly skilled, contemporary approach to figurative and floral realism, combining technical precision with emotional depth.
Gamez de Francisco has received numerous awards and honors, including the Key to the City of Louisville from Mayor Greg Fischer; the Museum Guild Purchase Award at the Evansville Museum; the SAIC Distinguished Scholarship at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and the “Dreammakers” Artist-in-Residence at the Muhammad Ali Museum.
He has presented solo exhibitions at 21c Museum (Bentonville, AR); Chauvet Arts (Nashville, TN); Monica Graham Fine Art (Carmel, CA); Hardcore Art Contemporary Space (Miami, FL); the Muhammad Ali Museum (Louisville, KY); and the Colonial Museum of Fine Arts (Havana, Cuba).
His work is held in significant public and private collections, including 21c Museum (Louisville, KY); the Fashion Resource Center at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art; the Evansville Museum of Arts; the Muhammad Ali Museum; the Jasteka Cultural Center (Jeffersonville, IN); and Louisville Metro Hall.
Gamez de Francisco’s work has been exhibited internationally at major art fairs and institutions, including Art Miami (2024); Taipei International Convention Center, Taiwan (2023); Art Market San Francisco (2022); Scope – Art Basel Miami (2022, 2021, 2012); Context Art Miami (2016); Art Southampton (2015); and Art Palm Beach (2014).
A selection of his realist figurative and floral paintings is currently on view at Signet Contemporary Art. The works are available for purchase through the gallery and online, offering collectors the opportunity to engage with an artist whose practice combines classical skill with a contemporary sensibility.
Statement
“Growing up in Cuba, I was surrounded by silence where music should have been. Western bands such as The Beatles, Queen, and Led Zeppelin were forbidden, and even the voices of Cuban exiles like Celia Cruz were silenced. Despite the risk of punishment, we found ways to listen. Every sound felt fragile, every note a secret. In a home where even a single U.S. dollar could be considered a crime, my father hid money inside bottles within the walls. Words were dangerous, so I learned early to guard my speech.
Art became my language of freedom. Through images and symbols, I could express what I could never say aloud. Painting became my sanctuary, my resistance, and my escape—a place where I could invent new realities. At fifteen, my devotion to art took hold. With materials scarce, I improvised: watercolor mixed with toothpaste for texture, diesel oil in place of linseed oil, and my mother’s blankets primed with house paint. These limitations strengthened me, teaching me that creativity always finds a way.
Art, for me, is survival—joy, purpose, and freedom. After fifteen years in the United States, I now work with abundant materials and the liberty to pursue my vision without fear. This freedom allows me to reconnect with the boundless joy of making that I felt as a child.
I work across a wide range of media and surfaces, from painting on wood slices and combining watercolor and ink on paper to wool felting and large-scale wall paintings. My practice celebrates creativity without borders and joy without restriction—an invitation to see art as freedom, experimentation as wonder, and creation itself as a revolutionary act.”- Carlos Gamez de Francisco
Available Works by Carlos Gamez de Francisco
Bridal Shower II
£4,900.00
Theory of Forms
£2,600.00
Lavender and Gold
£2,950.00
Power Posing and Glasses
£3,700.00
Pure Joy I
£5,300.00