Venezuelans…those that go with me

As goodbyes are never pleasant, Jesús Puente Leyva, Mexican ambassador to Venezuela, decided to leave in the singular style that characterizes him. As a result, from October 4, the doors of the CAF Gallery will open to receive friends, artists and art lovers to see the show "Venezuelans ... those that go with me."

This exhibition of 50 works by Venezuelan artists is part of the private collection amassed by the diplomat during his stay in our country. For the executive president of the CAF, Enrique García, the show has an integrationist component because it interweaves the art of two of the Corporation’s shareholder countries: Mexico and Venezuela. "A look at these works -- which our great friend Ambassador Puente Leyva has collected with so much fondness and care for over a decade – confirms that culture has no boundaries, and that it is principally through culture that American nations intercommunicate and stimulate the dynamic exchange that is so necessary for the integration and sustainable development of our peoples," García says.

Over 12 years, divided into distinct periods, Puente Leyva acquired a selection of 70 Venezuelan works that represent the last five decades of our artistic history, including several national prizes. "Although it is not structured with the meticulousness of a professional collector, it does have the rigor of a well thought-out selection," says Puente Leyva.

On his taste in art, he considers himself to be "a pre-modern spectator, lover of shadows and color." His collection showcases " figurative works, because Mexican taste is for history, narrative and anecdote. There’s a reason why we Mexicans are well aware that art is the modern equivalent of ritual and fiesta," he said.

Recreate The Spirit "Venezuelans ... those who go with me" is a celebration of art and friendship, profusely cultivated by the diplomat in this land, which highlights three thematic groups: the "Virgins," the "Naked" and the "Alebrijes." The latter are mythical beings of the Oaxaca culture recreated by artists of the stature of Pedro León Zapata, Diego Barboza, Azalea Quiñones, Jason Galarraga. Also worthy of mention is the work of Régulo Pérez, Humberto Jaimes Sánchez, Ricardo Benaim, Luis Guevara Moreno, Carlos Zerpa, Manuel Quintana Castillo and Oswaldo Vigas, along with new artists such as Fernando Sucre, Trino Sánchez, Luis Rocca Brito and Roger Sanguino.

For Puente Leyva, "each work has reference in space and time, never causality." Ties of affection have been a constant in the spirit of the collector. "Frequently, an artist’s studio and a shared table; an auction; a preconceived find in the galleries were redoubts of friendship and pleasant conversation."

The show covers different eras, schools and generations and this is precisely its artistic value. In the opinion of the Mexican ambassador, Venezuelan art has reached maturity as expressed in an authority that goes beyond trends. "Venezuelan artistic work, like Mexican, has its own language. Let’s not forget that both countries have had close links in the arts, as evidenced by the works of Rengifo, Poleo, Borges and Zapata, strongly influenced by the old Mexican school."

"The people of my generation learnt much from the murals, a permanent reference and a kind of summons to the search for identity, which perhaps may now seem demagogic. Through them we learnt to explain and to love, immersed in the epic of the vast "painted books" conceived by Vasconcelos and executed by Orozco, Rivera and Siqueiros.”

Experiences and Good Memories To accompany his collection of art and crafts, the diplomat is taking books, discs and countless good memories back home: memories of the 1980s when writers, artists and intellectuals founded the "Rasiano circle"; and of his lively love of the arts which prompted him to promote exhibitions of Venezuelan artists in Mexico and vice-versa. In short, the experiences of a singular man with a passion for music and the visual arts.