Luis Pedro Miret Pérez

Luis Miret-Pérez died on May 11 at the age of 58. Miret-Pérez was the longtime director of Galería Habana and also served as president of the auction house Subasta Habana, as well as director of Cuba's Department of Foreign Affairs of the National Council of Visual Arts and the Department of Economy of the Cuban Fund of Cultural Assets, an institution that oversees all state art and any activities associated with it. He created the Génesis Galerías project, which currently includes the Galería Servando, Galería La Acacia, and five more galleries. These posts allowed him to enter into direct contact with collectors, curators, and other members of the international art world. Some of the artists represented by Galería Habana include: Roberto Fabelo, Carlos Garaicoa, Tonel, and Los Carpinteros, as well as younger artists like Ariamna Contino and Jorge Otero. Luis Miret-Pérez was a committed professional who was also passionate about his work. His dedication allowed him to project Cuban art onto the international scene and earned him the respect, support, and trust of the artists with whom he worked. Eugenio Valdés-Figueroa, director and chief curator of the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO), said about his passing, "The visual arts circuit in Cuba loses one of the best prepared and most experienced experts in his field." A statement by the Sean Kelly Gallery in New York read, "Miret-Pérez's life-long commitment to the arts and culture of his home country is largely responsible for the global recognition of contemporary Cuban art today."