Gennaro Garcia Gallery in Phoenix Celebrates Local Artist’s Lively Imagination and Mexican Heritage
Gennaro Garcia Gallery is a lively, multipurpose space that revolves around the creation, display and celebration of art.
By Linda J. Barkman | Photography by Melissa Valladares
HISTORY: A man of endless energy and bottomless creativity, Garcia hails from San Luis, Sonora, Mexico, where he grew up with parents who encouraged him to be creative. “That’s how I started and why I am an artist,” he states. His family was in the restaurant business, and in 1998, he migrated to Yuma with the idea of opening a restaurant there. “But I became an artist instead,” he recalls. “That was the only thing I knew how to do besides cooking.” Garcia supported himself by selling acrylic paintings on the street and painting murals inside and outside of a Mexican restaurant. After relocating to Phoenix in 2001, new opportunities arose, from doing murals and faux finishes in homes to showing his work in galleries, including Calvin Charles Gallery in Scottsdale. “That was my big break,” he recalls. “In 2008, I was the second Latino to have a solo show there.” By the time COVID-19 reared its head, 11 galleries were representing Garcia in the U.S. and Mexico. As galleries began to close due to the pandemic, he started opening his own studios—one in San Diego, three in Baja, and one in Puebla, Mexico.
FAST FACTS
Owner: Gennaro Garcia
Opened: Feb. 3, 2023
Location: 1114 Grand Ave., Phoenix
Hours: Mon.-Fri.; 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Appointments recommended.
Phone: (480) 383-3259
Website: artegennaro.com
In 2016 he ventured into the field of restaurant design, and in 2018, the multitalented artist traveled to Puebla to study the art of making Talavera pottery at centuries-old Uriarte Talavera, where the first potter’s guilds were formed to establish standards and regulations for its production. He then opened his namesake “artelier”—the name he coined for his 1,500-square-foot space in Phoenix—in 2023. “It is now my main studio and the only studio in the U.S. where I have my Talavera collection,” he says. Each piece he makes comes with a Denomination of Origin certificate, which confirms the authenticity of its origin in Puebla using the original 16th-century methods.
CONCEPT: Garcia describes his artelier as a “studio/gallery and gathering place” where he creates and displays his art and entertains friends. “I have a dining table that seats 14 and allows me to host Bohemian gatherings,” he explains. “I bring in a chef from Mexico, and we cook together. We play records, socialize and eat great food on my Talavera plates surrounded by my art.”
PHILOSOPHY: Garcia says having a space where people can watch the process of creating art, enjoy the art of gastronomy and experience the creative process of an artist is important to him. “I love when artists come in to talk to me and share ideas,” he notes.
MOTIVATION: The artist says his motivation is to keep learning. “That’s why I do so many styles and work in such diverse mediums,” he adds.
WHAT’S IN STORE: Walls come alive with Garcia’s colorful paintings, limited-edition giclées and murals on mirrors, while cabinets showcase the artist’s lines of Talavera pottery, ceramics and enamel tableware.
GOALS: Current priorities include having a studio in a house in the wine country in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja; opening a second Taco Chelo taqueria of his design; launching his own wine label, Vino Bohemio, in Baja later this year; and publishing a book of his dad’s recipes, which is in the works.
REWARDS: Garcia lists traveling, getting to know new people and collaborating with creative people he admires—painters, chefs, winemakers and artisans—as career bonuses. “I think you have to give back something for everything you receive,” he remarks. “To share a canvas, a table, or a glass of wine while talking about life—that is my ‘vida de artista.’”
