ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book is dedicated to Alberto Latorre, mi gran amor. Thank you for sharing your insight, patience, and talents; collaborating with you is the most beautiful love. Gracias a la naturaleza, a Dios. Muchas gracias to my familia, my brothers Kike and Alex. And especially my late grandmother Coralia, my father Enrique, and my mother Teresa – her instinct to document and share in photo albums our sometimes challenging journey of survival and triumph, loaded with a sense of humor, continues to inspire me and adds meaning to my life.
I have been surrounded by love, enthusiasm, optimism, curiosity, and inspiration, all shared with passion and excitement by spectacular people in my life. It helps me create art. A heartfelt thank you to Roberto Montes de Oca, Dora Diaz, Anna Denise Miranda, Sonia Bonilla, Brandi Reddick, Mariangela Capuzzo, Marissa Boyescu, Richard Blanco, Mark Neveu, Gingi Beltran, Angela Valella, Belkys Nerey, Frank Amadeo, Mario Vergel, Millie Gutierrez and Allen Steed, Milly Robles, Tara Solomon, Nick D’Annunzio, Louis Aguirre, Rodolfo Choperena, Christopher Hill, Kymberly Marciano, Evan Strauss, Richard J. Alexander, Patricia Villamil, Diego Figueroa, Myrna Leal, Raul Rodrigues, Jason Clarke, Rafael Diaz, Susy and Walid Wahab, Debbie Ohanian, Ileana Casanova, Aaron Garvey, Bruce Weber, Francesca Silvestri, Kevin Chinoy, Jennifer Aniston, Mireille Chancy, Katia and Gaby Abdelnour, Edward Christin, Yagiro Lara, Carole and Oscar Seikaly, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Ana Carballosa, Marisa Tomei, Arnaldo Roche, Charo Oquet, Wendy Wischer, Montse Guillen, and Antonio Miralda, Cecilia Paredes, Johan Creten, Robert Chambers, Avra Jain, Valerie Donati, Rosie and Alfredo Triff, Luis Canales, Jose Luis Santiago, Enrique Renta, Shirley Mooney, Grela Orihuela, Kim Alexis, Sandra Bernhard, Jennifer Joy and Max Dempsey, Fernanda and Pedro Domit, Chris Cortazzo, Mayra Gonzales, Luis Perez, Omar Martinez, Carlos Alves, Las Fabulosas, Eric Rose, Cristina Coronel; Jackeline, Camille and the rest of the Latorre-Guim Family. Special thanks to dream makers Walter Otero, and all at Walter Otero Contemporary, also Petra Mason, Ausbert de Arce. At Rizzoli, Ellen Nidy and Charles Miers. Thank you for the magical friendship, support, and passion for art of Jennifer Johnson, Joe Duke, Gabriele and Bruce Dempsey.
Art Center/South Florida and Ellie Schneiderman, J. Johnson Gallery, Robert Miller Gallery, Locust Project, Dade County Art in Public Places, Heriard Cimino Gallery, Thom Collins, Debra and Dennis Scholl, Silvia Cubiña, Suzanne Delehanty, Carole Damien, Cheryl Hartup, Daniel Malcolm, Eric Shiner, Cricket and Marty Taplin, Martin Margulies, David Rubin, Patricia Ruiz, José Diaz, Diane Camber, Marianne Ramírez, Diana Nawi, Bill Fagaly, Jorge Santis, Rene Barilleaux and McNay Art Museum, Sagamore Hotel Art Collection, Omar Lopez Chahoud, Joan Blackman/ ICArt, Helen Cevern, Claire Breukel, Denise Gerson, The Patton Group, Warren James, Agustín Arteaga, Zoe Lukov, Diane Von Furstenberg, Carlos del Aqua, Kimberly Marrero, Asher Edelman, Liz Balmaseda, Spring Dautel, Rosa de la Cruz, Paul Laster, Anne Tshida, Lydia Martin, Glen Albin, Walter Robinson, Steven Biller, Janet Batet, Robert Farris Thompson, Diego Costa, Terry D’Amico, Elisa Turner, Mitchell Wolfson Jr, George Neary, Eduardo Padrón, Michael Spring, David Whitman, Richard Levine, Rochelle and Steve Lanster, Sandra and Tony Tamer, Karen and John Stetson, Annette Friedland, Maria Luisa Ferré, Joan
Quinn, Margarita and John Belk, Debi and Jeff Wechsler, Millie and Chilo Andreu, Lino Hernández, Donna MacMillan, Luis Gutierrez. In addition, the late Robert Miller, Dolores Smithies, Antonio Zaya, Rudolph Nureyev, Barbara Capitman, Leonard Horowitz, Victor Fariñas, Celia Cruz, Morris Lapidus, Paula Harper, and Bunny Yeager.
Big thank you to all the institutions, museums, and collectors that help support the artwork included in this volume. To the printers and technicians that have helped produce some of my artworks, special thanks for accepting the challenges and for sharing your knowledge. Finally, thanks to all the inspiring people who were the unique and creative force of South Beach in the ‘80s and ‘90s.