Tania Marmelejo

This post is also available in: Spanish

Artwork_Gallery_3From May 21st to June 20th, the Lyle O. Reitzel Gallery in Santo Domingo will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with a great art exhibition called #20YearsOnTheRoad, a collaboration of Dominican artists who have been part of the gallery’s history since it opened in 1995, including a number of Altos de Chavón graduates, otherwise known as “Chavoneros”. Among those forming part of this exciting collaboration is Tania Marmolejo, a Dominican with Swedish blood (by way of her mother) who graduated from the Altos de Chavón School of Design in 1998 and who is known and loved for her sensual and sexy paintings of red headed ladies with enigmatic round eyes, one of which once graced the cover of CasaLife Magazine. She’s one of many many success stories to have emerged from the Altos de Chavón School of Design, click here to read all about her in a post contributed by Stephen Kaplan, dean of studies. 

Tania Marmolejo, “What Once Was Unheard Of”, Oil on canvas Artwork_Gallery

Meanwhile the other Chavonero or rather Chavonera taking part in #20YearsOnTheRoad is Hulda Guzmán, who since graduating from the Altos de Chavón School of Design in 2004, Hulda Guzmán is now recognized as an “acclaimed dominican artist from an emerging generation”. Hulda Gúzman also forms part of a remarkable family of Chavoneros – her entire family of 5 all studied at the Altos de Chavón School of Design; Eddy Guzmán and Silvia Conde, who married in 1979, who now have 3 daughters: Laura Amelia, Hulda and Julia. Click here to read all about this incredible family of Chavoneros.

Special guest artists of #20YearsOnTheRoad are Nina Surel from Argentina, exhibiting for the first time in the Dominican Republic, and the Dominican-Haitian artist, Firelei Baez. Also taking part is Gerard Ellis, Scherezade García, Chiqui Mendoza, Gustavo Peña, as well as Cuban artist Carlos Estevez.

Take a peak at what you an expect from #20YearsOnTheRoad at the Lyle O. Reitzel Gallery in Santo Domingo: 

#20YearsOnTheRoad art exhibit

When: From May 21st to June 20th 2015 Where: Lyle O. Reitzel Gallery, Santo Domingo

A brief history about Lyle O. Reitzel Gallery

“Welcome To The Caribbean” by dominican artist living in Paris, Garcia Cordero, and the “Terrible Infant” Raúl Recio, was Lyle O. Reitzel gallery’s inaugural exhibition, back when the gallery was first established at Plaza Andalucia. These artists belong to the gallery’s collective memory, among cuban origin icons like José Bedia and Luis Cruz Azaceta, as well as the Uruguayan master Ignacio Iturria, Edouard Duval Carrié from Haiti and Milton Becerra from Venezuela. Starting as an art dealer  in 1988 and later rising into a gallerist in 1995, Lyle O. Reitzel has focused on promoting and representing a select group of contemporary emerging artists, specially from Latin America and the Caribbean, that have a new language to show the world. Besides being in charge of organizing innumerable exhibitions along with museums and galleries all around the world, Lyle has created a formal market for collectors. Lyle has participated in prestigious international art fairs such as ARCO Madrid, VOLTA New York, Context Art Miami, ArteBa Buenos Aires. Pulse Miami, Scope New York, Pinta Londres, ZonaMaco Mexico, KIAF Korea, MIA Milan, and others. By the end of 2014, Lyle received a very special visit at his gallery, Klaus Biesenbach, MoMA’s curator in chief, whom was highly impressed and extended him an invitation to attend Yoko Ono’s retrospective: One Woman Show, this may 13th, 2015. Lyle’s recent exhibitions include: “Human Conditions” by García Cordero in the Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA)Long Beach, California, 2006. He presented Jose Bedia’s retrospective,  “Obras Recientes”, at the Museum of Modern Art in Santo Domingo. In  2010, collaborated with Edouard Duval Carriè, in the curating of  “Global Caribbean II: Caribbean Trilogy, Focus on the Greater Antilles”, Miami Fl, presenting works of García Cordero, José Bedia and Edouard Duval-Carrié, as part of the  special events of Art Basel Miami Beach. The art critics association of DR, has awarded his work with “Best Individual Exhibition” in a gallery, in the years 2011, 2013 y 2014. Mercado Magazine awarded him with “The Best of DR” during 2013 and 2014.