Reynier Llanes
Reynier Llanes is a
Cuban-American artist known for his vibrant narrative
paintings that often blend Cuban folklore and landscapes with magical realism [1][4]. Born in 1985 in Pinar del Río, Cuba,
Llanes has established himself as a prominent figure in contemporary
art, with his works featured in several prestigious museums and
collections across the United States[1]. His painting techniques
encompass traditional oils and acrylics, as well as innovative pigments
such as coffee.
Biography
Llanes attended the Instructores de Arte in Pinar del Río for four years,
completing
his studies in 2004. During that time, he studied with one
of Cuba’s most recognized realist artists, Juan
Miguel Suárez.
In 2005 Llanes moved to Havana where he continued his studies while
collaborating with various artists. He also visited the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de Cuba, and was influenced by the art of Joaquín Sorolla held in that museum.
In
2007 he was able to emigrate from Cuba to the United
States, first settling in Naples, Florida. In Naples he
began to introduce his work within its art community. In 2009
he moved to
Charleston, South Carolina where he was granted an artist in
residency at the Jonathan Green Studios. After the residency, in
2015 Llanes relocated with his family to Miami, where he could
participate in that city’s international art market and vibrant
cultural life, as well be closer to his home country. In Miami he
continues to create art and inspire emerging artists[9].
Llanes is also an avid art
collector, focusing on works by Cuban
artists, particularly those from his native province of
Pinar del Río. A
selection of works from his collection was exhibited at City
Gallery in
Charleston in 2013 and in the Myrtle Beach Art Museum in
2015.
Career
Llanes' first solo exhibition took place at Miami Dade
College
West. This exhibition was entitled “Preserving Cultural
Heritage”, featuring a large collection of his coffee
paintings.
In 2011 he was received a first place award at the Moja Art Festival Juried Exhibition Award for a painting now in the city of Charleston's Gibbes Museum of Art.
In 2012 Oxford American recognized him as one of the “New
Superstars of
Southern Art.” As his art was being nourished and enriched by southern
culture, he reciprocated by actively collaborated with several museums and
art
centers. His work was featured in a traveling exhibition "The
Vibrant
Vision Collection" at the Morris Museum of Art (Augusta, Georgia) and
the Gibbes
Museum of Art.
In 2017 Llanes began a collaboration with the Harmon-Meek Gallery (Naples, Florida) marking
the
beginning of a formal professional relationship.
In that
same year he presented his series “Marble Trace” at the
Northwestern State University in Louisiana, where in the following year he was
offered an artist in residency. In 2022 Llanes presented a solo
exhibition at
the Butler Institute of American Art (Youngstown, Ohio). He also participated in the DeLand Museum of Art's (Deland, Florida) Arts and Poets event.
Other recent shows include “Timeless Origins” (in 2023 at the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art) and "Passages" (in 2024 at the Gibbes Museum of Art). These shows engage viewers with Llanes' Cuban memories intertwined with the present and future, as well as explore those personal and societal passages, both physical and
spiritual, that communicate common threads in humanity.
Artistic style and techniques
Llanes' art is deeply rooted in
Cuban folklore and landscapes, often transformed through a lens of magical reinterpretation[1]. His
paintings
combine narrative dynamics, weaving fables and allegories that
reformulate times, places and images while remaining true to the
essence of
each story[1]. Llanes is also known for his use of Cuban coffee as
a pigment
in some of his works, a technique he developed after
accidentally
spilling coffee on paper as a child[5].
The topics in his works have a strong indigenous character that is directly
connected with the Cuban landscape which is often coupled with dream-like
perspectives. His works have focused on the dynamics of life
narratives, as informed by allusions to fables and allegories.
Animistic influences, possibly derived from West African Yoruban religion, also appear in some of Llanes' work.
Llanes uses a variety of techniques to enable a unique visual language for exploring
themes of memory, love, family, Cuban folklore, cultural heritage and
contemporary issues while maintaining a strong connection to his
roots47. The parallel, yet sometimes intersecting, worlds of reality,
science, religion and imagination are woven into Llanes' artistic
vision. His techniques include:
-
Oil
painting – Llanes uses oils to create large-scale works, often
employing
impasto and an underpainting technique with lighter and darker colors
before adding
brighter hues for depth and atmosphere2.
-
Watercolor – He employs
watercolor techniques, including washes and layering,
to
produce vibrant and expressive pieces51.
-
Coffee painting
("Espressionism") – Llanes uniquely uses Cuban espresso coffee
as a
pigment, applying it similarly to watercolor techniques. This
method
allows him to create intricate, subtle works with a distinctive sepia
tone, with allusions to his cultural roots51.
-
Mixed media – Some of his works combine different materials and
techniques, such as oil and mixed media on canvas3.
-
Symbolism and allegory – He
often uses symbols and metaphors in his compositions to convey a
spectrum of complex narratives and emotions17. Llanes
incorporates elements of magical realism in his paintings, blending
reality with fantastical, dream-like elements.
-
Color theory – Llanes carefully selects color palettes to evoke
specific emotions and atmospheres in his paintings5.
-
Composition – He uses composition as a key element to develop
stories and create multiple focal points within a single
work5.
-
Texture – Llanes
experiments with creating new textures through impasto and mixture
of colors and techniques7. His narrative style and impasto technique
show the influences of Joaquín Sorolla.
-
Lyrical Expressionism – He seeks to express the meaning of emotional experience rather than physical reality.
Key art
works
These works demonstrate Llanes' versatility in subject matter,
media and
imagination, ranging from large-scale oil paintings to his
signature
coffee-based works. They represent his exploration of themes
such as
memory, love, family, folkloric mysticism, cultural
heritage, and
contemporary issues, as well as the interplay between reality
and
imagination4.
-
"By
your dream"
(2024) – An oil on canvas painting measuring 86 x 78 inches1.
-
"The Keeper's Wisdom" (2023) – A coffee on canvas
painting, 60 x 60 inches, showcasing Llanes' unique
"Espressionism" technique15.
-
"Book
Cover"
(2023) – A large oil and mixed media on canvas work, 76 x 76
inches1.
-
"New Sun" (2022) – A large oil on
canvas work, 87 x 76 inches1.
-
"You are Here" (2022) – An oil on canvas piece, 86 x 76
inches1.
- "Timetraveler" (2022) – An oil on canvas piece, 78 x 56
inches.
-
"I
Can Breathe"
(2022) – A large oil and mixed media on canvas work, 76 x 76
inches1.
- "SOS for a Shipwreck at Sea" (2012) – A coffee and acrylic
on paper work, 20 x 30 inches, demonstrating Llanes' mastery
of coffee as a medium5.
- "Pasiphaë" (2015) – Coffee painting that
showcases
Llanes' ability to create intricate symbolist narratives using
this
unconventional medium3.
Notable museum and gallery exhibitions
Llanes' art has been featured in
several prominent institutions, including:
- Denver Art
Museum (Denver, Colorado) – Llanes' "Variants" is on permanent exhibition at the museum
- Ogunquit
Museum of American Art (Ogunquit, Maine)
- Rollins Museum of Art (Winter Park, Florida)
- Snite Museum of Art (now Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, South Bend, Indiana)
- Polk
Museum of Art (now AGB Museum of Art,
Lakeland, Florida)
- Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (Little
Rock, Arkansas)
- Deland Museum of Art (Deland, Florida)
- Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapin Art
Museum (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) – Llanes' "Queen Yolanda" is on permanent exhibition at the museum.
- Morris Museum (Augusta, Georgia) – Llanes' "Suns under the Moon" is in the permanent collection at the museum.
- Butler Institute (Youngstown, Ohio)
- Flint Museum (Flint, Michigan)
His recent exhibitions include:
2025
- Brewing Espression: Coffee, Poetry, and Painting – Sydney and Berne Davis Art Center (Fort Myers, Florida)
2024
- Passages – Harmon-Meek Gallery (Naples, Florida)
- Brewing Espression: Coffee, Poetry, and Painting – Olga and Carlos Saladrigas Gallery (Miami, Florida)
- Embracing Divinity – Frascione Gallery (Palm Beach, Florida)
- Passages – Gibbs Museum of Art (Charleston, South Carolina)
- Cinematic Impressions – Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center (Fort Myers, Florida)
- Timeless Origins – Harmon-Meek Gallery (Naples, Florida)
2023
- Timeless Origins – Polk Museum of Art (Lakeland, Florida)
- What is Essential is Invisible to the Eye – Harmon-Meek Gallery (Naples, Florida)
2022
2021
- Where there is No Frontier – Burrough-Chapin Museum (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)
- Chronicles – Harmon-Meek Gallery (Naples, Florida)
2020
- Book of Life – Harmon-Meek Gallery (Naples, Florida)
2019
- Lineage – University of Houston (Houston, Texas)
- Reynier Llanes’ Solo Exhibition – Harmon-Meek Gallery (Naples, Florida)
2018
- Subtle Ways of Blue – Harmon Meek-Gallery (Naples, Florida)
2017
- Faces in the Crowd – Polk
Museum of Art (now AGB Museum of Art,
Lakeland, Florida)
- The Figure in American Art – Polk
Museum of Art (now AGB Museum of Art,
Lakeland, Florida)
- Marble Trace – Northwestern State University of Louisiana (Natchitoches, Louisiana)
- Reynier Llanes’ Solo Exhibition – Harmon-Meek Gallery (Naples, Florida)
- Marble Trace – The University of South Carolina /Etherredge Center (Aiken, South Carolina)
2015
- The Vibrant Vision Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman – San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art / August 13, 2015 – October 18, 2015 (San Diego, California)
- Voices of an Island – Cuban Art Collection of Reynier Llanes – Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapin Art
Museum (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)
- Preserving a Cultural Heritage: The Coffee Paintings of Reynier Llanes – Miami Dade College / West Campus (Miami, Florida)
2014
- Exhibition of Art from The Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman – Morris Museum of Art (Augusta, Georgia)
- Espressonism. Cuban Espresso Coffee Paintings by Reynier Llanes – Gallery 2014 (Hollywood, Florida)
2013
- Passionate Collectors and 25 years of Jonathan Green (The Barbara Burgess and John Dinkelspiel Art Collection) – Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapin Art
Museum (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)
- The Spirit of the Coffee Bean, The Coffee Paintings of Reynier Llanes (Solo Show) – Collier County Museum (Naples, Florida)
- Vision: The Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman – Gibbes Museum of Arts (Charleston, South Carolina)
- INCOGNITO at Friends of Art 2013 – Naples Museum of Arts (Current museum’s name: Artis—Naples the Baker Museum) (Naples, Florida)
- The Spirit of the Coffee Bean – Collier County Museum (The depot Museum) (Naples, Florida)
2012
- INCOGNITO at Friends of Art 2012 – Naples Museum of Arts (Current museum name: Artis—Naples the Baker Museum) (Naples, Florida)
- Anecdotes from a Diary: Reynier Llanes (Solo Show) – Dunes Properties Studio (Charleston, South Carolina)
- The Spirit of the Coffee Bean – Saul Alexander Gallery at the Main Library (Charleston, South Carolina)
2011
2010
- Artist Studio Tour 2010 – Friends of Art at the Patty and Jake Baker – Naples Museum of Art (Current museum name: Artis—Naples the Baker Museum) (Naples, Florida)
- Preserving a Cultural Heritage. The Coffee Paintings of Reynier Llanes – Gallery Chuma (Charleston, South Carolina)
2009
- Have a Seat – Naples Museum of Art (Naples, Florida)
2008
- 2nd Annual Art Expressions of Latin America Exhibit – Museum of History (Fort Myers, Florida)
- Stranger Visitor – Reynier Llanes Studio/Gallery (Naples, Florida)
2006
- Guernica with Havana Artists – Museo de Playa Beach Museum (Havana, Cuba)
Gallery
Bibliography
External links
