Gallerist Ralph Pucci and artist Ruben Toledo have a history of collaborating together on projects and exhibits and are at it again — this time for Art Basel Miami Beach.
The Ralph Pucci gallery, located at 550 Northwest 28th Street in Miami’s Wynwood Art District, starting Dec. 3 will showcase an exhibit of Toledo’s works, including 10 new watercolor paintings from his “Natural Selections” series, along with live drawing by the artist. On the gallery’s facade is a large mural by Toledo titled “I See You — I Love You,” inspired by his beloved late wife, the acclaimed fashion designer Isabel Toledo. The mural stretches across the entire length of the facade, which is 146 feet wide by 14 feet high.
A Ruben Toledo watercolor is part of the artist’s upcoming exhibit at the Ralph Pucci gallery in Miami.
“Ruben has been part of the Ralph Pucci family for nearly four decades,” said Pucci, who operates galleries in New York and Los Angeles as well as Miami showcasing high-end, luxurious home furnishings, sculpture, lighting, art and photography. “Ruben’s work is imaginative, poetic, and deeply personal, and it’s an honor to showcase this exhibition that also pays tribute to Isabel’s enduring influence.”
Toledo has been collaborating with Pucci since 1988, designing mannequins and even painting directly onto Pucci’s signature furniture. His work is always deeply entwined with the spirit of his late wife, who drew worldwide attention when she dressed First Lady Michelle Obama for the 2009 presidential inauguration.
A portion of proceeds from the Miami show will help support an upcoming documentary about the Toledos and Cuba, where they lived until moving to New York City as child refugees, which is where they met. The documentary, titled “Izzy,” is directed by filmmaker Chiara Clemente and highlights the couple’s love, the creativity it spawned, and New York’s art and fashion scene of the ’70s and ’80s, of which they were an integral part.
On opening night of the exhibit, Toledo will sketch portraits of guests who can contribute as they wish for their portraits, to support the documentary. Also at the opening, Ralph Pucci’s master sculptor, Michael Evert, will create a live sculptural environment and continue working in the gallery during the week that follows.
In addition, the gallery will stage a small recreation of the sculpture studio inside Pucci’s New York City headquarters/gallery. The actual studio is documented in the new coffee-table book “Process” and is where works are first hand-sculpted, then cast in a proprietary material called Plasterglass. The atelier-like experience has led to collaborations with several internationally recognized designers represented by Pucci, including Patrick Naggar, Eric Schmitt, Elizabeth Garouste, Stefan Bishop, Nina Seirafi, Olivier Gagnère, Alexandre Logé and Vladimir Kagan. Pucci also has in-house designs created. Brand-new for the Miami gallery are works by Paul Mathieu, Lee F. Mindel, Xavier Lust, John Koga and Ilkka Suppanen.
A watercolor by Ruben Toledo to be exhibited at the Ralph Pucci gallery in Miami.