paintings.collage.drawings

Opening night reception:  Saturday, February 16, 2008 from 7-10 pm

The Avenue 50 Studio is proud to present an exhibition of spiritual and political art by Francisco Letelier.  Letelier bridges continents and weaves together history and contemporary experience, creating artwork that is powerful and memorable.  Born in Chile, he is known both for his visual art and his perceptive writing, spoken word and poetry.

Letelier has completed murals, public artworks and private commissions throughout the United States, Latin America and Europe.  The artist has collaborated on projects with diverse artists and writers such as Ariel Dorfman, Quincy Jones, Bonnie Rait, U2, Tom Hayden and Jane Goodall.  He received a Grammy Nomination in Package Design for work on musician Jackson Browne’s “World in Motion” release.  The widely publicized, “Becoming the Circle”, a mural at the historic Pioneer Bakery in Venice, included portraits of those who live in the surrounding Oakwood neighborhood.  His monumental ceramic tile murals, “El Sol and La Luna” adorn the Westlake/MacArthur Park Metro Rail Station in Los Angeles.  The works carry on the legacy of the Chilean mural tradition and serve as a symbol for the diversity of the City of Los Angeles.

More recently, Letelier traveled to the Amazon in Iquitos, Peru and created murals with Patch Adams, known for his work that combines medical care and humor through the Organization "Gesundheit."  Letelier led a team of artists helping advance the transformation of a section of Belen, the poorest neighborhood in Iquitos.  The artist continued traveling south, returning to Santiago, Chile to create "La Mujer del Bosque, at the Orlando Letelier Clinic in the working class district of El Bosque.

Francisco is the son of Orlando Letelier, who was assassinated in Washington DC in 1976.  The car bombing was the first act of international terrorism to occur in the nation’s Capital.  Agents from the Chilean secret police acting under orders from former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet and in collaboration with anti Castro Cuban terrorists were involved in the conspiracy.

Francisco Letelier is the subject of the documentary "Painted Son" by prize winning cinematographer Christopher Gallo.

His editorials and artwork have appeared in many publications including the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, New York Times, Le Monde, The Guardian and The Mimi Herald.

When:            Saturday, February 16, 2008 from 7-10 pm

Where:              Avenue 50 Studio, 131 No. Avenue 50, Highland Park, CA  90042

Contact:              Kathy Gallegos, Director, 323/258-1435

Duration:            February 4 through March 2, 2008

www.avenue50studio.com