Founder
Irina Leyva-Pérez
Irina Leyva-Perez holds a B.A. degree in Art History from the University of Havana, Cuba, and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (M.A.L.S.) from Florida International University, in Miami, Florida. She is an art historian, art critic, and curator based in Miami, Florida.
Her professional experience encompasses almost thirty years in three countries. Right after graduating in 1992, she worked as Curator and Researcher of Contemporary Art, at the Research Department, in the National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba. There she met many artists who later became the forerunners of contemporary Cuban Art and assisted with exhibitions as well as developing the collection of Cuban Art from the 90s.
In 1994 she moved to Kingston, Jamaica, where she was the Assistant Curator of the National Gallery of Jamaica until 2001. Among the many exhibitions, she curated there were: Representation of Jamaica to the XXIII Biennial of Sao Paulo. Artist: David Boxer. 1996, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Caribbean Invitational II. National Gallery of Jamaica, 1996; Jamaican Art Deco: The Designs of Burnett Webster. National Gallery of Jamaica, 1999. She was also a member of the Jury at the III Biennial of Painting of the Caribbean and Central America at the Museum of Modern Art. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1996, as well as a Jury Member of the Annual National Exhibition for several years at the National Gallery of Jamaica.
During her tenure at the National Gallery of Jamaica, she was the head of the Education Department, organizing many events such as exhibitions, lectures, special tours, and workshops. She was also the liaison between art collectors and the gallery, establishing a network that assisted in its functioning.
From 2001 to 2003, she lectured at the Edna Manley College for the Visual Arts in Kingston, Jamaica. She taught Art History Survey, Modern Western Art, Pre-Columbian Art, and Latin American Art. Many of today’s artists, curators, and educators were her students in their formative stages. In those years, she was also a consultant at D.C. Tavares and Finson, the leading art auction house in Jamaica. Here she was the connection between collectors and the auction house, advising in selling and buying. She was also a member of the Acquisition and Exhibition Committees of the National Gallery of Jamaica for several years. In 2001 she assisted the Bank of Jamaica in inventorying their art collection of more than 400 pieces in time for their 40th anniversary.
In 2003 she moved to Miami, where she was Assistant to the Registrar at the Miami Art Museum, Miami, Florida (today Pérez Art Museum Miami). While at the museum, she worked with the collection, including new acquisitions, conditions reports, and liaison with collectors who donated pieces for the collection or lent some for special exhibitions.
From 2006 to 2019, she was a Curator at Pan American Art Projects in Miami, Florida. During that time, she curated over 80 exhibitions of Latin American, Caribbean, and American artists, including León Ferrari, Oscar Bony, Luis Cruz Azaceta, Manuel Mendive, Gustavo Acosta, Carlos Estévez, Tracey Snelling, and Edouard Duval-Carrié among others. At the gallery, she advised private collectors and introduced many of them to Caribbean and Latin American Art. She also participated in many public discussions and presentations about contemporary art in the region, creating awareness and interest.
As part of her master’s degree studies, she made a complete inventory of Carlos Estevez’s work, locating many pieces of unknown whereabouts that were in private collections. Part of her graduating thesis about this artist’s work was published as an essay in Art Nexus magazine.
As an art critic, she is a regular contributor to art specialized magazines such as Art Nexus, Art Pulse, and Art on Cuba. Her texts have also been published in monographs, art books, and exhibition catalogues.
In 2020 she opened Newcastle Art Consultants, a company dedicated to promoting and documenting Caribbean art, and to create a network of artists and art specialists in the area.