Julio Larraz

Michelle Malsbury, BSBM, MM
The world appears to have turned upside down this past year. The stock market plummeted, many banks or investment organizations failed, real estate depreciated, in some instances, as much as fifty percent, and jobs across America were cut. With such a bleak picture of our economy many may wonder where to invest. I´ve got something new for you to consider.

Brave moneyed people can always find bargains in the stock market or real estate, but what about collecting art? Before you say anything against art as an investment let me introduce a man who I believe is well worth collecting, Julio Larraz. Mr. Larraz moved from Cuba to the United States in 1961 when he was a teenager. (Lucie-Smith, E., 2003) He has a large following in Europe, the Caribbean, and South America, but he is also becoming a faction to be noticed in the USA too!

Mr. Larraz paintings depict his life´s progression from the tropical lifestyle of the Caribbean to Europe to Africa and elsewhere. Each painting is filled with vibrant colors, conveys a particular story, and pays acute attention to detail which are an outcropping and compilation of his life´s travels, art study, and experiences. His paintings run the full gamut from classical to modern and more.

Julio Larraz´s paintings can sometimes appear playful, surreal, or whimsical. This may be attributable to his transitional youth where his family fled their home in Cuba for a new life and fresh start in America. He paints figures, still life, landscapes, water scenes, and lifestyles in the same vein as the Greats did. There are religious undertones in some paintings and fantasy or adventure in others. All are filled with uninhibited emotional expression, incredible ranges and variation of color, and rich subject matter. Julio Larraz possesses extraordinary creativity, concentration, and talent! He is one of the best painters I have ever seen in modern time and one worthy of any serious art collector´s attention.

Julio Larraz shows exclusively at Marlborough Galleries in Monaco and New York City, as well as, the Galleria Tega in Milan. Julio´s work is currently on exhibit at the Marlborough Gallery on fifty-seventh street in New York city. (April 28 thru June 6, 2009) For more information about Julio Larraz, the artist and his wonderful paintings, visit his web site at www.juliolarraz.com.


On a personal note, I first men Julio Larraz in 2005 when I bought my yacht TANGO, a 63 foot Bertram International Motoryacht, in Miami, Florida. I was in the process of restoring TANGO to her original brilliance where Mr. Larraz was a regular spectator of, and commentator on, that restoration. He kept his vessel WATERCOLOR at the same marina and when he was down on his boat he frequently stopped by to see what new things I was working on and how the work was progressing. His interest was more than curious as he liked her traditional lines where he perhaps fancied himself as her owner one day. (and Julio if you are reading this it is still not too late to fulfill your desire to own her)

Julio and I developed a friendship and shared respect. I like Julio and have great admiration for him as an artist and person. He is a great guy! I had occasion to meet some of his gallery sponsors and avid collectors from around the globe. We shared an occasional meal, lots of stories, and many glasses of good champaigne. Julio signed a lovely picture book for me that depicts some of his glorious work and tells a story about how he was inspired to paint each one. This colorful collection of his paintings is also available on one of his web sites and is titled simply "Julio Larraz". It was written by Edward Lucie-Smith and published by Skira in 2003. Photographs of his work in this book are taken by Don Queralto, whom I also hold in great esteem.

Whether you are currently a collector of fine art and want to add to your collection, or a newcomer to the world of art collection, please look into the various and plentiful works by Julio Larraz. I promise you will not be sorry!

References;

www.juliolarraz.com

Lucie-Smith, Edward. 2003. Julio Larraz. Skira. Milan, Italy.
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Michelle Malsbury, BSBM, MM

Michelle Malsbury holds a BSBM and MM in Business Management. She is in the process of working towards her doctorate at Nova Southeastern University in the disciplines of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. Michelle is a lifelong learner who´s passions lean toward politics, world peace, the environment, animal/human rights, global warming, and energy independence. For more information about Michelle please visit her web site at http://www.MichelleMalsbury.com .