by Antonio Mejías-Rentas
Outside In by Martín Ramírez
TREASURE TROVE: Newly discovered works by the late Mexican folk artist Martin Ramírez will be exhibited next year by the American Folk Art Museum in New York.
The 144 drawings by the self-taught master— who was diagnosed schizophrenic and created most of his work at California hospitals—were once destined for the trash and survived more than two decades in a Sacramento garage.
They were recently discovered by the heirs of Dr. Max Dunievitz, who was medical director at DeWitt State Hospital in Auburn, Calif, where Ramírez died in 1963 at age 68. The Dunievitz family donated three of the works to the museum and will sell the rest. The museum, which last year organized a retrospective of Ramírez’s work, will hold an exhibition in October 2009.
According to The New York Times, the money raised by the sale will be donated in honor of Ramírez’s family to a philantropic foundation. Ramírez’s heirs have never owned one of his drawings.
Some of the drawings to be sold will be shown later this year by at New York’s Ricco Maresca Gallery.
DESERT SOUNDS: The world’s top Latin recording artists are expected this week in Las Vegas for a number of events leading up to the Nov. 8 Latin Grammy ceremony.
Gabriel García Márquez
Festivities begin Nov. 6 with the city premiere of the English-language fi lm Love in the Time of Cholera, adapted from Gabriel García Márquez’s novel with a soundtrack by Shakira. The Colombian singer will perform at a fundraiser dinner preceding the screening to benef t her Pies descalzas charity foundation.
Events on Nov. 7 include the Latin Recording Academy’s 2007 Lifetime Achievement Awards to Olga Guillot, Lucho Gatica and Los Tigres del Norte, among others—and the Person of the Year Award to Dominican singer-song-writer Juan Luis Guerra.
Among confirmed artists performing works by Guerra. Ricky Martin, Rubén Blades and Daddy Yankee.
Martin himself will open the Nov. 8 Latin Grammy telecast in a number that will include Las Vegas troupe Blue Man Group. Other performers Include Ivy Queen, Andrea Boccelli, Calle 13 and Conjunto Primavera.
ONE LINER: Tenor Plácido Domingo will sing the National Anthem at the MSL soccer championship game, Nov. 16 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
Hispanic Link.
