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Fernando Luis Alvarez

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Fernando Luis Alvarez
Born
Greenwich, Connecticut
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Gallerist, artist, art connoisseur and art activist
Years active1996–present
Known forFernando Luis Alvarez Gallery
Clementina Arts Foundation
The Spoon Movement
The Curtain Movement
The Global Recovery Movement
Brain Fitness Foundation

Fernando Luis Alvarez[1] is a Colombian-American art gallerist, artist, activist, patron of the arts, and philanthropist based in Stamford, Connecticut. He is known as the founder of his eponymous art gallery, Alvarez Gallery.[2] He is also the founder of Clementina Arts Foundation,[3] The Spoon Movement,[4] The Curtain Movement,[5] and vice-chair of The Global Recovery Movement.

Biography

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Early life

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Born in Greenwich, Connecticut, but raised by his grandmother Clementina[6] in Colombia, Alvarez returned to the States at age 12. He has said that he began developing his passion for art in his aunt's bathroom, where he used her make-up to paint.

Education and business work

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Fernando Luis Alvarez studied from elementary to high school in Greenwich, Connecticut. He then attended Richmond, The American International University in London, where he studied international business, finance, political science, and economics.

While in school, he completed an internship at Merrill Lynch.[7]

Alvarez founded the business development firm Alvarez & Partners soon after leaving school in 1997. The company focused on identifying, funding, and helping manage internet start-ups and other technology-related enterprises. Throughout his career, Alvarez took on multiple senior-level positions, acting as CEO for Meetgate, one of the first corporate instant messaging companies.

In 1999, he built an ad agency called APe-Shop that outsourced creative execution to Latin America. Alvarez sold the company in 2005, traveled for a while, worked as a senior business analyst, and began a career in the art world.[8]

Art Gallerist

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Fernando Luis Alvarez worked for the estate of 20th-century collector and gallerist Allan Stone. There, he managed the late-collector's vast art collection and assisted Stone's widow, Clare Chester Stone,[9] in their home.

In 2008, Alvarez continued working as an artist by opening the Greenwich Soho Factory[10] in Byram, Greenwich, CT. where he showed his work and a small selection of artist friends in a 5,000 sq. ft. space.

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In December 2009, Alvarez opened a gallery in Stamford, CT. He completed an entire relocation to the newly named Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery by June 2010, ultimately closing his Greenwich studio.

Alvarez Gallery states its mission is to "(...) 'build artists' careers from the doors in, and community from the doors out."[11] The Gallery represents emerging artists and has a collection of mid-20th-century contemporary and modern artists.[12]

The Gallery is behind the Joseph Kosuth solo exhibition at Musée du Louvre. It sponsors Kosuth's work "Ni Appearance ni Illusion."[13][14] The Gallery has worked with or maintained a professional relationship with institutions such as Musée du Louvre, Tate Museum, Frieze Art Fair, Sotheby's, Christie's, Neuberger Museum of Art, MASS MoCa, Housatonic Museum of Art, Oglethorpe University Museum of Art and Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art. In September 2012, the State of Connecticut cited the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery as one of the nation's most innovative contemporary art galleries.[15]

On December 17, 2014 — five years after opening— the Gallery received a citation from U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal for its contributions to the Arts.[16]

In 2017, Alvarez Gallery[17] was the First and only North American Gallery to ever represent Italian sculptor Arturo Di Modica (1941–2021), creator of NYC's 2nd most-visited landmark, the Charging Bull[18] of Wall Street. In December 2018,[19] Alvarez announced that his gallery would be closed beginning January 2019. Between the years 2019–2020, Alvarez Gallery opened its digital space alvarezgallery.com.

Artists Representation

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The Alvarez Gallery is known for its approach to growing artists' careers and selecting artists.

Represented artists include:

  • Antuan Rodriguez[20]
  • Carlos Bautista Biernnay[21]
  • Eduardo Vargas-Rico[21]
  • Eugene Agyei[22]
  • Jena Thomas[23]
  • Joe Bogisnki[24]
  • Vincent Serbin[25]

Kudos Curators

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Kudos Curators is the research and curatorial program created for Alvarez Gallery. It is a digital and physical platform designed to highlight the work of curators for contemporary artist(s).

Kudos Shed

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Fernando Luis Alvarez is also the founder[26] of Kudos Shed,[27] an extension of the Kudos Curators platform, and provides an in-person, immersive experience with a focused curatorial idea. The concept relies on one curator, one artist, one artwork. All housed in a humble shed. The first project was launched in Cannondale Village, Wilton, Connecticut on September 24, 2022.

Artist

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Fernando Luis Alvarez is a Colombian-American contemporary artist known for his dramatic brushstrokes, trademark red Lips,[28][29][30] and performances.[31]

Alvarez has worked on commercial projects with Saks 5th Avenue and HEI Hotels and Resorts.[citation needed]

Alvarez cites his inspiration as coming from artists such as Keith Haring (whom he met and followed as Haring tagged the New York subways), Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Basquiat, Warhol, Arman, and Frank Stella.

Activist

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In June 2018, Fernando Luis Alvarez executed a guerrilla installations with Domenic Esposito[32][33] as part of the Opioid: Express Yourself! exhibition[34]which included artists Antuan Rodriguez, Ben Quesnel, Nathan Lewis, Jason Werner, Matthew Paul Clearly, Lee Tal, Juan J. Bedoya, and Clinton Deckert.[35] This became The Spoon Movement, whose missionwas to hold accountable the architects of the opioid epidemic in particular Purdue Pharma.[36][37] The act involved temporarily installing a 10-foot long, 800-pound steel spoon representing a "heroin spoon". It was deposited in front of the headquarters of Purdue Pharma for their role in the opioid endemic in the United States. Alvarez[38] later said that he selected Purdue Pharma headquarters to emphasize legal scrutiny the company faced with its opioid painkiller OxyContin regarding its unscrupulous prescribing practices, which contributed to increased patient misuse and the opioid crisis situation.[39] Purdue Pharma claimed they ceased promoting the drug by February of that year and significantly reduced the "sales force" in June, just before the incident occurred.[40]

Alvarez was charged with "a criminal misdemeanor and a felony"[41] for the installation of the spoon sculpture and was arrested.[42][43] The sculpture was confiscated but later returned to Esposito.[44][45] Alvarez was allowed to participate in an accelerated rehabilitation program,[38] and was cleared of the charges because he stayed away from Purdue Pharma for one year.[46] In 2019, while dealing with thousands of lawsuits, Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy,[47][48] and consequently went through a restructuring.[49]

As an extension of the Spoon Movement, Alvarez initiated The Curtain Movement in December 2020, another form of guerrilla installation activism. Curtains[50] are a work of protest art against those who shield dangerous actors in our society. The Curtains seek to spotlight the enablers obscuring wrongdoers who harm others for financial or political gain. As part of The Curtain Movement, in March 2021, a curtain was installed in front of the Purdue Pharma headquarters which read "FDA's Dr. Janet Woodcock must go!"[51] alleging FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock as one of the "enablers of the opioid epidemic"[52] and to "dissuade the Biden administration from nominating Dr. Janet Woodcock for FDA commissioner."[53]

Alvarez[54] currently co-chairs The Global Recovery Movement (TGRM) with Dan Schneider.[55] An international coalition fighting the opioid/fentanyl epidemic, TGRM's mission is to flip the discrimination of the criminal justice approach to substance use towards a proven public health solution. He also sits on the board of the Brain Fitness Foundation.

Philanthropy

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From 2013 to 2015, Alvarez sought to turn around the afterschool programs provided by the Yerwood Center a Stamford, CT non-profit organization named after Joyce Yerwood and known for working with disadvantaged youth. Alvarez became chairman of the board[56] in 2013.  He was responsible[57] for removing the team managing the center, which had been under financial distress for the last decade, partnering the institution with the Boys & Girls Club of Stamford and literally saving the institution.

From 2012 to 2017, he served on the board of the Stamford Downtown.

In 2015, Alvarez founded the non-profit organization Clementina Arts Foundation in tribute to his grandmother. The organization is known for providing educational programs for kids about arts, Kid Contemporary and supports for the emerging artists Sprouting Spaces.

Sprouting Spaces which is a Clementina Arts Foundation unit that runs three strategic cultural units. On April 25, 2023, Alvarez appeared on Fox61 in Connecticut to discuss the 2023 CT Post Mall Sprouting Spaces.[58]

References

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  1. ^ Lauterborn, Mike. "The Ethos of Tenacity: An Interview with Gallery Owner Fernando Luis Alvarez". www.hamlethub.com. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  2. ^ "home – Alvarez Gallery". Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  3. ^ "Clementina | Clementina". Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  4. ^ "Welcome to The Spoon Movement". The Spoon Movement. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  5. ^ "HOME | the-curtains". The Curtains (in Spanish). Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Hines, Patricia A. (November 24, 2017). "Grandmother's inspiration spearheads Stamford gallery owner's mission to give back". StamfordAdvocate. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  7. ^ "Wealth Management and Financial Services from Merrill Lynch". Merrill Lynch. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  8. ^ "Stamford business much more than an art gallery". StamfordAdvocate. November 4, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  9. ^ Smith, Roberta (December 18, 2006). "Allan Stone, Noted Art Dealer and Collector, Dies at 74". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  10. ^ Artist Fernando Luis Alvarez presents LIBRARY, January 31, 2010, retrieved June 2, 2023
  11. ^ "About us – Alvarez Gallery". February 9, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  12. ^ "Artists – Alvarez Gallery". February 9, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  13. ^ Gallery (2022): "Joseph Kosuth", alvarezgallery, https://alvarezgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/1.-Joseph-Kosuth.pdf, Retrieved March 14, 2023
  14. ^ "Joseph Kosuth: Neither Appearance Nor Illusion". Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  15. ^ [1] Yellow Place (2010): "Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery", yellow.place, https://yellow.place/en/fernando-luis-alvarez-gallery-stamford-usa, Retrieved May 10, 2023
  16. ^ Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery -The Announcement (December 2014), December 28, 2014, retrieved June 2, 2023
  17. ^ Gargan, Scott (October 25, 2013). "'Bull' sculpture charges into Stamford". StamfordAdvocate. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  18. ^ Syckle, Katie Van; Southall, Ashley (September 8, 2019). "Attack Leaves Wall Street's Iconic Bull With a Gash on Its Horn". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  19. ^ Laguarda, Ignacio (December 26, 2018). "Stamford art gallery known for heroin spoon protest to close". StamfordAdvocate. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  20. ^ https://www.antuanart.com/
  21. ^ a b "- Alvarez Gallery". February 8, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  22. ^ "Eugene Ofori Agyei – Portfolio Website". Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  23. ^ "JENATHOMAS/ART". Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  24. ^ "JOE BOGINSKI – Alvarez Gallery". February 10, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  25. ^ "Vincent Serbin". Vincent Serbin. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  26. ^ Bonnist, Kathy (March 15, 2023). "Stunning New Exhibit Puts A Wilton Shed on the Art World Map". Good Morning Wilton. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  27. ^ "Kudos Shed – Alvarez Gallery". January 16, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  28. ^ "Setting Philadelphia Afire". Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery. July 29, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  29. ^ "Arch Street's Lip Lift". Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery. May 25, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  30. ^ Contemporary Artist Sets Up Studio At Saks Fifth Avenue- Fernando Luis Alvarez, April 10, 2012, retrieved June 2, 2023
  31. ^ Convergence – Fernando Luis Alvarez Performance at the Le Meridien Philadelphia, July 2010, January 25, 2012, retrieved June 2, 2023
  32. ^ Convergence – Fernando Luis Alvarez Performance at the Le Meridien Philadelphia, July 2010, January 25, 2012, retrieved June 2, 2023
  33. ^ Sharp, Sarah Rose (June 26, 2018). "Artist Drops 800-Pound Heroin Spoon Outside OxyContin Manufacturer's Headquarters". Hyperallergic. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  34. ^ "Opioid! Express yourself – Alvarez Gallery". November 21, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  35. ^ "An artist-led exhibition investigates and targets the architects of opioid addiction" (PDF). Alvarez Gallery. 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  36. ^ "Judge rules artist can get drug spoon sculpture back in Connecticut". August 27, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  37. ^ "Judge Rules Artist Can Get Drug Spoon Sculpture Back". WSHU. August 28, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  38. ^ a b "Gallery Owner Behind Heroin Spoon Sculpture Placed Outside Purdue Pharma Gets Accelerated Rehabilitation". Hartford Courant. September 17, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  39. ^ The Associated Press (2018): "Drug spoon sculpture placed outside drugmaker Purdue Pharma headquarters", USA Today, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/23/drug-spoon-sculpture-placed-outside-purdue-pharma-headquarters/727997002/, Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  40. ^ "Purdue Pharma's local partnerships face growing scrutiny". AP News. March 15, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  41. ^ "Gallery dealer arrested for placing a huge heroin spoon outside a pharma office". Metro. July 4, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  42. ^ "A Gallery Owner Was Arrested After Leaving a 10-Foot Heroin Spoon Sculpture at OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma". Time. June 24, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  43. ^ Moynihan, Colin (June 22, 2018). "Large-Scale Art Protest Outside OxyContin Maker Ends in Arrest". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  44. ^ "Judge rules artist can get drug spoon sculpture back in Connecticut". Associated Press. August 27, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  45. ^ Buchner, Bill, Associated Press (2018): "Judge Rules Artist Can Get Drug Spoon Sculpture Back", wshu | Public Radio, https://www.wshu.org/news/2018-08-28/judge-rules-artist-can-get-drug-spoon-sculpture-back, Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  46. ^ Schott, Paul (2019): "Purdue Pharma removes at HQ", The Norwalk Hour, https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-norwalk-hour/20190514/281668256423897, Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  47. ^ "Purdue Pharma files for bankruptcy in the US". BBC News. September 16, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  48. ^ Hoffman, Jan, Williams Walsh, Mary (2019): "Purdue Pharma, Maker of OxyContin, Files for Bankruptcy", The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/15/health/purdue-pharma-bankruptcy-opioids-settlement.html, Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  49. ^ Schott, Paul (March 25, 2021). "As bankrupt OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma restructures, CT employees face an uncertain future". CT Insider. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  50. ^ "ABOUT US | the-curtains". The Curtains (in Spanish). Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  51. ^ Valle, Verónica Del (March 12, 2021). "800-pound spoon movement leader launches new anti-Purdue demonstration in Stamford". StamfordAdvocate. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  52. ^ "FDA's Janet Woodcock failed to stop the opioid epidemic". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  53. ^ Del Valle, Veronica (2021): "Artist, activist, launches new anti-Purdue demonstration", New Haven Register, Press reader, https://www.pressreader.com/usa/new-haven-register/20210313/281814286618460, Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  54. ^ "Board Members". Global Recovery Movement. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  55. ^ "Dan Schneider (The Pharmacist)". Partnership to End Addiction. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  56. ^ "The New Yerwood Center". Greenwich, CT Patch. April 24, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  57. ^ The New Yerwood Center, April 25, 2013, retrieved June 2, 2023
  58. ^ fox61 (2023): "Local arts nonprofit and Connecticut post mall collaborate for 'Sprouting Spaces'", fox61.com, https://www.fox61.com/video/news/local/local-arts-nonprofit-and-connecticut-post-mall-collaborate-for-sprouting-spaces/520-4edec9f1-b3f8-407a-b569-4e1640e4f40a, Retrieved April 29, 2023
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