Colombian American Artist to Exhibit Works at The Butler

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – An exhibition of works by Mateo Blanco will open Sunday at The Butler Institute of American Art and run through Dec. 1.

The same day, the museum will inaugurate the Segall Print Gallery in the adjacent Butler North building. The gallery is named in honor of Robert Segall.

Blanco is Colombian American and a resident of Orlando, Fla., who studied at Florida Atlantic University. Two of his works are now in the permanent collection of the Boca Raton Museum of Art.

He is also a goldsmith jeweler and opera singer. Several years ago, he sang during the celebration of President George H.W. Bush’s birthday.

Blanco is known for using unusual materials to create his works of art. He has always been fascinated with glamorous Hollywood stars and the heroic or funny characters in comics.

“When creating their portraits, I don’t just think of how they look, but the deeper meaning, how people would feel when they see or purchase my art, as if they were part of a story,” he said in a press release.

For the Butler exhibition, Blanco painted several versions of the flag of the United States.

“All of us have different colors inside or outside,” he explained. “We can change a color or a shape, but the magic and essence remain intact. It doesn’t matter what color or shape; it will always be recognizable.”

Pictured at top: Mateo Blanco works on a painting. (Photo by Juan David Tena)

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.