On February 20, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) hosted its annual International Women’s Committee Luncheon, an intimate celebration chaired by Darlene Boytell-Pérez and presented by a global women’s fashion brand, Lafayette 148 New York. Honoring Brooklyn native Gloria Luria, an art enthusiast and collector, for her many contributions to the arts in Miami, PAMM’s International Women’s Committee works to further women’s empowerment in the arts to create a more balanced representation in the industry.

“PAMM’s International Women’s Committee is a platform to celebrate women and to create a more balanced representation of women artists, leaders, collectors and gallerists around the world.” said Darlene Boytell-Pérez, chair of PAMM’s International Women’s Committee. “Gloria Luria exemplifies this mission; she is both a pioneer and a role model for women everywhere. We are honored to celebrate her visionary leadership ensuring young, female creatives are represented in the arts. We look forward to helping amplify her efforts to educate, empower and support women in Miami and beyond.”

After moving from New York to Miami in 1960, Luria opened the Gloria Luria Gallery in 1966, displaying works from artists the likes of Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist, and Pat Steir. Along with being recognized for bringing “blue-chip” artists and exhibiting the city’s young talent and women artists, Luria’s gallery was a contemporary arts first in Miami, FL. Despite being retired, Luria remains deeply engaged in the Miami and New York art communities.

The exclusive celebratory luncheon, featuring cuisine by Constellation Culinary Group, formerly STARR Catering, included a warm welcome by PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans and a presentation on Luria by her son Peter Luria with a Veuve Clicquot toast. Remarks about IWC by Boytell-Pérez followed with a presentation by Chief Curator Tobias Ostrander and Associate Curator María Elena Ortiz, where they introduced two of the museum’s upcoming exhibitions, highlighting female artists Teresita Fernández and Beatriz González.

In April 2019, PAMM will present Beatriz González: A Retrospective, a monumental survey spanning six decades of the artist’s intensive research that addresses cultural and political issues specific to the artist’s home country of Colombia. Later this year, in Fall 2019, PAMM will present the first major retrospective of contemporary artist Teresita Fernández, titled Elemental. Fernández’s mid-career survey will include more than 50 works that the artist created over the last two decades. At the luncheon, committee members voted for this season’s PAMM’s International Women’s Committee funds to support Beatriz González: A Retrospective, on view April 18, 2019 through September 1, 2019.

Photos by WorldRedEye.com