Galería Urbana Blanquis

Photos courtesy of the Galería Urbana Blanquis Facebook page. 

The Galería Urbana Blanquis began some 40 years ago as a framing shop. So successful were they that both artists and collectors began to come together here. The gallery was the result of so many meetings. Founders Pablo and Alberto Ortega Murguía put their skills at artistic curation and valuation to work. They thus contributed to the revitalization of the entire neighborhood. The gallery was re-opened and re-launched, in 2001, with a new mission to educate and still to suggest works from their now considerable collection.

Having mounted some 70 shows, the gallery has consolidated a strong portfolio of working artists. Javier Guadarrama and Abelardo López stand out. The idea of the place as something of a pioneer, well-off the trendy and fashionable “gallery circuit” is all too rare. They’ve participated in multiple catalog publications, and made collecting into something of a local obsession.

Today the Galería Urbana Blanquis is a Colonia Águilas institution. It bears all the trappings of a purely commercial art gallery, but with moments of individual genius and personal intervention glaring through. And they’re not infrequent moments. The gallery is not often listed in the must-see thoroughfares of contemporary art. But the following is solid for a reason. A general comfort with and knowledge of their client base just adds to the professional framing and packaging service. Unique, custom-made frames aren’t just an afterthought. They were the genesis, after all.