5 Amazing Galleries To Visit in Coral Gables

Ever since humans have been on Earth, communication has been one of their most important needs. This why ancient people painted rocks and created sculptures to share each other’s vision of life, feelings or requirements. This type of communication is called Art nowadays. Art not only works to express yourself, but also helps people do well academically, learn visually, relieve stress and improve creativity. For this reason, here are 5 amazing galleries where you will be able to enjoy a nice time with your family and friends.

ArtSpace Virginia Miller Galleries

Virginia Miller is known to process a unique and personal vision of art, set up in the most populated urban area in the state of Florida for over 43 years, where she began her art career in 1974, in Coconut Grove. Mainly focused on contemporary art, the Galleries include a history of photography, sculpture and painting by Cuban, Latin American and Chinese artists that shows people how to look at the “spirit” or artistic integrity, highly accomplished techniques, and the value of art.

Source: Virginia Miller

H Benitez Fine Art Gallery

From the heart of Havanna, Humberto Benitez brings his art to make us capture the soul of his land. The artist was born in Cuba in 1960, where he used to paint with red clay and charcoal since he was a child. Ever since he settled down in the USA in 1971, the community has recognized Benitez for his amazing projects on restaurants, cruise ships and private collections that reflect the music, romanticism and history of Cuban culture, reason why international corporations have acquired some of his works.

Humberto Benitez:

“My figurative work has been built around the idea of drawing attention to moments and movements rather than personification, and I believe this gives the work a more personal quality for the viewer. It allows the viewer to take the reins of how they could interpret the pieces by not having to sift through identities: in this way, the art remains honest.”

Humbertobenitez.com

Source: Humberto Benitez

Cernuda Arte

This gallery allows the opportunity to know several works, from prehistoric cave paintings to today’s postmodern art. The gallery’s sections include artworks by Colonial, Early Republic, Vanguardia, and Modern master painters for the delight of art history lovers. Displaying authentic artworks, the common denominator of all works exhibited at Cernuda Arte is Cuban art, which they claim to be in permanent exhibition for the general public.

Source: Cernuda Arte

Conde Contemporary

Specialized in representational works, with a concentration on narrative realism, photorealistic portraiture, surrealism and contemporary art, Conde contemporary is a place that makes visitors feel a positive experience around its hallways, inasmuch as Cuban artists have a special particularity to convey their feelings through their paintings.

Source: Conde Contemporary

Imago Art in Action

Imago Art in Action is a cultural space founded by Venezuelan entrepreneurs who look to create inspirational experiences in order to promote the growth and development of children and adults through the learning of plastic arts and literature. The center provides the community with a program that offers art exhibitions, readings, lectures, film forums, workshops for children, teenagers and adults, talks, seminars, guided tours, corporate and private events, and many more activities that invite to enjoy the world of art and literature. In short, it is a space for the entire family.

Source: IMAGO, Art in action

 

The reader’s tour in Coral Gables: 4 bookstores that you need to know

 “If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”

Oscar Wilde

When we talk about love of reading, it’s not complicated to understand this Oscar Wilde quote, because if you can't immerse yourself into the pages of the book and swim through the story that is narrated, if you can't feel the same joy, the same pain or the same love each character feels, and if you do not feel you are daydreaming of that mythical universe and that the only way to wake up from that dream is a fist-hammering “there is no use in reading it at all.”

Of course, who wouldn’t feel panic when the police officers knocked on the door asking about the death of The Elder in Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart? Who wouldn’t feel like losing their own sanity like Don Quixote of La Mancha did? Who would not feel the same surprise, sadness and anger Katniss felt when she experienced the loss of her friends and family in The Hunger Games? Like these examples, there are many more stories where all of us, book lovers, have lived an experience in which we feel that we are living within the narrative. That’s why we recommend touring this Reader Path in Coral Gables, a route of bookstores to enrich your spirit and intellect.

• Books & Books

For tourists, when getting around Coral Gables, it’s necessary to visit the Coral Gables Museum, and you will be surprised to find Books & Books is located next door.  If you are a bookworm, this place is perfect for you, not only for its comfortable spaces, but also for its full stock of the latest books. You might feel like Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker Street. Moreover, there is a coffee area with singers serenading the diners, and many events, from authors meetings to readings, are constantly offered. Awesome! Don’t you think? –“Elementary, my dear Watson!”

• Barnes & Nobles

Perhaps your last name is not Potter, nor are you a wizard, but we are sure that visiting this bookstore will make you feel at Hogwarts, because of its big size. At Barnes & Noble, you should do several activities; you can find many toys, games, music, movies, and even DVDs and vinyls to choose from. Additionally, there are 3 stories filled with books covering numerous subjects. For this reason, we invite you to know this bookstore, grab a coffee, and sit on the comfortable armchairs with your preferred book. If you’re ready for Barnes & Nobles, say “Wingardium Leviosa!”

• University of Miami Bookstore

A reading tour wouldn’t be complete without a university bookstore; they’re even present in our favorite books. For example, in Discworld, we can find The Unseen University Library (UU), known for its large magical grimoires that create portals into L-space –a strange extradimensional place that connects all the libraries in the universe. In this case, you will not find magical grimoires in the University of Miami Bookstore, but a two-story bookstore with a huge variety of UM accessories such as mugs, socks, hats, shirts, notebooks, plates, cups, and much more.

• Altamira Libros

We could describe the Altamira Libros bookstore in the same way as Jorge Luis Borges –one of the most well-known Hispanic writers– describes his utopic "The Library of Babel"; a library where all possible books exist. In this case, Altamira Libros offers the widest variety of Hispanic book authors you can imagine. It’s located across from Barnes & Nobles and two blocks away from Books & Books, which means you cannot lose the opportunity to know it.