Uruguayan father and son Pablo and Piero Atchugarry open two art institutions in Miami.
Pablo Archugarry with his sculptures PHOTO COURTESY OF PIERO ATCHUGARRY GALLERY
Born in Montevideo to creative parents, Pablo Atchugarry began making art as a teenager, creating his first signature Carrara marble sculpture in 1979. Today at age 68, the artist has shown his work across Europe, the U.S., Asia, and Latin America, and established a lucrative career that he devotes to the arts. In 2007, the Pablo Atchugarry Foundation opened in Uruguay to promote diverse creative practices. Pablo’s avid engagement paved the way for his son Piero to launch a contemporary art gallery in Garzón in 2014 to showcase the best Latin American contemporary art. In 2018, the duo set sights on Miami, building an art complex between Little Haiti and Miami Design District, housing expansions of both the foundation and art gallery. Their programs quickly became recognized for pristine and in-depth exhibitions that provide audiences unique local, Latin American, and global perspectives contextualized by Pablo and Piero’s expertise and deep love of art.
Collaborative exhibition with the Italian institution Studio la Citta, 50 Years, a Day. Studio la Città, a Story on view at Piero Atchugarry gallery in Miami in 2022 PHOTO COURTESY OF PIERO ATCHUGARRY GALLERY
“The goal for the gallery program is to introduce never-before-seen exhibitions and artists to Miami. It is a way for us to communicate our identity—by conceiving bold and challenging productions year-round,” shares Piero Atchugarry.
Emil Lukas, The Distance of Time on view at Piero Atchugarry gallery in Garzón in early 2023 PHOTO COURTESY OF PIERO ATCHUGARRY GALLERY
Representing artists from four continents, Piero Atchugarry Gallery makes the most of each presentation by commissioning guest curators, publishing artist catalogs, and bringing artists to Miami to engage with audiences. Formatted as solo, group and survey exhibitions, this considered approach is geared toward advancing artist’s careers and providing holistic content for audiences to learn about new practices. Piero has also hosted important Miami-relevant exhibitions including that of Christo and Jean- Claude, whose 1983 Surrounded Islands was a landmark public art project in the city. Programming also connects with the Atchugarry’s Latin American roots and shows an interest in developing contemporary dialogue with historical movements such as Op, Kinetic art and ArtePovera through the work of Tulio Pinto, Verónica Vázquez, Artur Lescher, Arcangelo Sassolino, and Eugenio Espinoza.
The foundation space adjacent focuses on civic and contextual engagement. Previous exhibitions include Simon Faithfull’s environmental project Fata Morgana curated by Ombretta Agró Andruff, the Executive Director of ARTSail Residency and Research Initiative. The Foundation has also featured sculptures by Pablo Atchugarry alongside relief and freestanding sculptures by renowned artist Louise Nevelson, loaned from Pablo’s personal- and private art collections, and rarely seen outside of museum contexts.
Emil Lukas, The Distance of Time on view at Piero Atchugarry gallery in Garzón in early 2023 PHOTO COURTESY OF PIERO ATCHUGARRY GALLERY
Piero explains, “The Pablo Atchugarry Foundation promotes non-commercial shows, performance, photography, and allows us to collaborate with Miami-based artists and local organizations such as Oolite Arts and The 55 project.”
If this were not enough, in 2022, Pablo Atchugarry co-funded and contributed 500 artworks to establish the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo Atchugarry (MACA). Located in the resort town of Punta del Este, Atchugarry saw the need to create an international museum for Uruguay.
Piero Atchugarry at his gallery in Garzón, Uruguay PIERO PORTRAIT BY LORENA LARRIESTRA OF SURE STUDIO
Contributing a devoted and studied approach to contemporary art practice, the Piero Atchugarry Gallery and Pablo Atchugarry Foundation are making a mark on Miami’s cultural scene by introducing vital dialogue with considered historical context. In the antithesis of temporal fixations with new art, the father and son team is building history-in-the-making, ensuring artist’s longevity and their valued legacy. 5520 NE 4th Ave, Miami, pieroatchugarry.com
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Projects from 1972 to 2013, which was on view at Piero Atchugarry gallery in Miami until April 1, 2023. PHOTO COURTESY OF PIERO ATCHUGARRY GALLERY
Photography by: Photos Courtesy of Piero Atchugarry Gallery
