NSU Art Museum Reveals New Acquisitions

NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale has revealed the acquisition of works by three South Florida artists, Alejandro Piñeiro Bello, Kandy G Lopez and Dimithry Victor. Led by Director and Chief Curator Bonnie Clearwater, NSU Art Museum continues the museum's tradition of supporting local artists and regularly showcases exhibitions of rising talent at the Museum, elevating the local arts community.

“These acquisitions further the Museum's commitment to providing artists living and working in the region a prominent platform. Sharing their works with a wider audience, building community awareness, and appreciation of the immense creativity flourishing in South Florida,” said Bonnie Clearwater, Director and Chief Curator of NSU Art Museum. 

Acquired works include Alejandro Piñeiro Bello's monumental painting, Exodus (Escaping Paradise), 2023 (11.5 ft x 19 ft) Created for his first solo museum exhibition, Escaping Paradise, which is part of NSU Art Museum's program Future Past Perfect, consisting of seven concurrent solo exhibitions by South Florida artists, co-curated by Bonnie Clearwater and Ariella Wollens, the Museum's Bryant-Taylor Curator, on view through October 15, 2023. 

Exodus (Escaping Paradise) is Piñeiro Bello's largest painting to date, and depicts a swirling maelstrom of land and sea bathed by the light and color of the Cuban Sun. The effect of shimmering heat is conveyed through the artist's fluid line and saturated palette, together evoking a surreal feeling of delirium. Within the technicolor landscape, bodies are submerged within the Caribbean waters with various heads either floating or sunk beneath the surface, the water representing a path to escape and homecoming that encircles Cuba's tumultuous history. 

Just prior to the start of the pandemic, Piñeiro Bello traveled to Cuba to visit his family, not knowing that his return to Miami would be indefinitely forestalled due to travel restrictions. During this subsequent limbo, he devoted his time to perfecting his craft and transforming the nation's idyllic beaches into his studio. Exodus (Escaping Paradise) invites viewers to confront the paradox of Cuba's beauty and harsh realities endured by its people, many of whom grapple with a desire to escape this island paradise. Within this epic scene, the artist looks to question the notion of paradise itself and the illusory nature of utopia. 

"This acquisition is a heartfelt affirmation of the countless years of unwavering dedication and belief in my dreams,” says Piñeiro Bello. “It reassures me that my unwavering pursuit of following my heart and embracing my artistic vision was the right path all along. It fills me with immense joy to witness how art has the incredible power to positively transform lives. My deepest hope is that younger artists find boundless inspiration in witnessing a dream materialize right before their very eyes. I will continue to dream and create, forever grateful and overwhelmed with honor that my painting now finds its place among the esteemed NSU Art Museum Permanent Collection, surrounded by such remarkable company.” Piñeiro Bello was born in Havana, Cuba and currently resides in Miami, Florida. 

Kandy G Lopez's monumental textile work Marly and Luis, 2022 (12.5ft x 7.5ft): This piece was created for her exhibition (in)visibility cache, one of the seven concurrent solo exhibitions in the Future Past Perfect program. Created in 2022, Marly and Luis was Lopez's first textile work of this scale. 

Within a cityscape rendered from cut and layered fragments of repurposed clothing, a couple stands at the edge of the composition, directly on the precipice of their illusory space and the viewer's physical domain. This sense of proximity is enhanced by the figures' presence or cache, in which they simultaneously exude tenderness and confidence. All of these sensations are conveyed through the artist's deft handling of thickly piled thread and unembellished textiles, that together create an image full of dimension and character. 

This work is representative of Lopez's singular approach to working with textiles. Using repurposed yarn and cloth, she creates distinctly mimetic portraits of friends and passerby who the artist recognizes as evoking a feeling of cache. As she states, “I paint the (in)visible and vulnerable while showcasing their power.” 

"I'm thrilled to have a piece in a Museum connected to my institution,” says Lopez. I feel heard, celebrated and most importantly, SEEN. It's significant for my students and my community to be represented and this is one example of creating inclusion within South Florida Art spaces. Thank you so much to the Museum's Board of Governors, Bonnie Clearwater, Ariella Wolens and the University." Lopez was born in New Jersey and currently resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she is the Program Director of Art + Design of Nova Southeastern University and serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Communications, Media and the Arts in the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences. 

 

Dimithry Victor's Tranquility, 2023 (18 in. x 24 in): This piece is the latest addition to the Museum's permanent collection. 

 

Victor, originally from Haiti and now residing in Plantation, Florida, moved to South Florida as a child and was captivated by the rich cultural experiences the region offered. Self-taught as an artist, Victor delved into the world of art through extensive study of art history and frequent visits to art museums, including NSU Art Museum. Victor's character studies and narratives, which illuminate marginalized communities, have quickly established him as a fascinating talent. 

 

His painting, Tranquility, is striking in its representation of a young Black man in complete harmony with the world, radiating serenity. “Three colorful flowers echo the young man's peaceful countenance as they inch up towards the sun, while billowy white clouds frame the scene, adding to the painting's overall sense of ethereal lightness,” notes Clearwater. 

 

“I am deeply grateful to the NSU Art Museum for recognizing the value of my piece, ‘Tranquility,' and for providing it with a home among the timeless treasures in their collection,” says Victor. “This marks my first artwork to be included in a Museum's permanent collection, and having my work displayed here is the culmination of my  dreams and passions.” Victor was recently recognized with the prestigious Soho House Soho Fellowship and presented his first solo gallery exhibition earlier this year at Diafono gallery in Miami. 

 

These three works join other recent purchases of works by South Florida artists including Susan K. Alvarez, Thomas Bils, Emilio Martinez, Jared McGriff, Reggie O'Neal and Zoe Schweiger. 

Situated midway between Miami and Palm Beach, NSU Art Museum is located in the heart of Downtown Fort Lauderdale. The Museum is a premier destination for exhibitions and programs encompassing all facets of civilization's visual history and is widely known for its significant collection of Latin American art, contemporary art with an emphasis on art by Black, Latin American and women artists, as well as works by American artist William Glackens and the CoBrA group of artists. For more information, please visit https://nsuartmuseum.org. 

About NSU Art Museum

Founded in 1958, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is a premier destination for exhibitions and programs encompassing many facets of civilization's visual history. Located midway between Miami and Palm Beach in downtown Fort Lauderdale's arts and entertainment district, the Museum's 83,000 square - foot building, which opened in 1986, was designed by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes and contains over 25,000 square feet of exhibition space, the 256 -seat Horvitz auditorium, a museum store and café. In 2008, the Museum became part of Nova Southeastern University (NSU), one of the largest private research universities in the United States. NSU Art Museum is known for its significant collection of Latin American art, contemporary art with an emphasis on art by Black, Latinx and women artists, African art that spans the 19th to the 21st-century, as well as works by American artist William Glackens, and the European CoBrA group of artists. Two scholarly research centers complement the collections: The Dr. Stanley and Pearl Goodman Latin American Art Study Center and the William J. Glackens Study Center.

Major support for NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is provided by the David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation Endowment, the City of Fort Lauderdale, Wege Foundation, Community Foundation of Broward, Lillian S. Wells Foundation, the Broward County Cultural Division, the Cultural Council, the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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