Mario Sanchez: Before and After
by Nance Frank
Published by Key West Press
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Reviewed by Andrea Sisco
What do you see when you look at a piece of art? Do you simply admire the color, the form, or perhaps the images? Did you ever think there could be a rich, real-life story behind the artist’s work?
Key West art gallery owner Nance Frank (The Gallery on Greene) spent years interviewing Mario Sanchez of Key West, one of America’s preeminent folk artists. In her book Mario Sanchez: Before and After, Nance tells the stories behind Sanchez’ pieces that have been painstakingly carved out in wood and painted in rich, vivid colors.
What makes Frank’s book so special is the artist’s recollections of life in Key West. Each work offers the artist’s personal history and his remembrances of a time past, where the culture of the ‘place’ was filled with the diversity of life.
Each photograph of Mr. Sanchez’s works is accompanied by the story behind the piece. You learn about Monkey Man and how he came to live in Key West; the Gato Brothers and the cigar factory they built; Gamoneda’s Bakery and the fragrant Cuban bread (flautas); Sweetback’s Taxi; and my personal favorite, Pet the Pirate. There’s so much more–and if you want to fall in love with an American treasure, read Mario Sanchez: Before and After.
This book can be purchased directly from author’s web site– www.Galleryongreene.com
Armchair Interviews says: Mario Sanchez is an icon. Nance Frank’s book tells the stories of Sanchez’ works that make his art even more exciting.
Author’s Web site: http://www.GalleryonGreene.com