Major Exhibition of Mario Sanchez Woodcarvings to Open at the Key West Museum of Art & History

November 21, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL).  The Key West Museum of Art & History is pleased to present the exhibition, “Collecting Key West: The Work of Mario Sanchez”, opening on Friday, December 6.  The exhibition marks the twenty-year anniversary of his passing and commemorates his enduring legacy on the island.  A reception to mark the opening is scheduled to take place from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. that evening in the Bryan Gallery, which is free and open to the public.

Exploring the crossroads of art and history, this exhibition delves into the legacy of Cuban American folk artist Mario Sanchez (1908 – 2005).  Sanchez established himself as the foremost Key West artist in the 1940s, creating hundreds of intricately carved and painted intaglios that portray his birthplace in the first part of the 20th century more effectively than any historic records or academic texts.  His intaglios are a visual feast filled with the music, smells, and passion of Gato’s Village, the island’s Cuban American neighborhood where Sanchez spent much of his life.

“Sanchez, celebrated as one of the most significant Cuban American artists of the 20th century, will be showcased in a new light with this exhibition,” says Dr. Cori Convertito, curator for the museum.  “Concentrating on the stories that Sanchez collected and shared in his drawings and carvings, it is the museum’s aim to broaden the understanding of what the island and its residents meant to Sanchez.  By incorporating individuals such as the Pirulí Man, Crawfish Jack, and Monkey Man, the scenes he fashioned give a sense of his stewardship.  Sanchez saw himself as a historian bound by a responsibility to teach the next generation about the ones that came before.”

A self-taught artist, Sanchez was born on Duval Street in 1908, the grandson of Cuban immigrants.  He enjoyed carving, and as young man began carving fish out of pieces of driftwood, which he sold for $1.50.  In the 1940s, at the urging of his mother-in-law, he created more complicated scenes illustrating life in Key West as he remembered it from his childhood.  Every one of his carvings tells a remarkable story—each person, chicken, dog, and fish has its own identity, set against a background of mom-and-pop businesses from a bygone era.  They form an authentic part of Sanchez’s personal experience that he enjoyed sharing with the world.

The exhibition will feature over forty works, several that have never been shown publicly in a museum setting.  In addition to the drawings and intaglios, visitors can discover Mario’s worktable, carving and painting tools, along with personal effects.  “Collecting Key West: The Work of Mario Sanchez” runs through May 18, 2025, in the Bryan Gallery.  For more information, visit kwahs.org/mario-sanchez, call Cori Convertito at 305-295-6616 x 507 or [email protected].