Reynier Llanes was born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba in 1985. He attended the city’s school of art (Instructores de Arte) for four years and completed his studies in 2004. Llanes was tutored by one of the country’s most recognized realist artists, Juan Miguel Suárez. In 2005 he moved to Havana where he continued his studies and collaborated with various artists. The capital was a thriving mecca of art and culture and the museums the grounds for inspiration.
In 2007 LIanes availed himself of an opportunity to emigrate from Cuba and moved to the United States, first settling in Naples, FL. In Naples he began to introduce his work in a major exhibition entitled “Strange Visitor” at the Kapo Maestro Gallery. In 2009 he relocated to Charleston, SC where he had the honor of being granted an artist in residency at the Jonathan Green Studios.
Llanes was awarded a “first purchase award” for a piece now in the art collection of the city of Charleston 2011 at Moja Art Festival Juried Exhibition Award. In 2012 Oxford America recognized him as one of the “New Superstars of Southern Art.” The art of Reynier was nourished by the rich southern culture and he began to collaborate with various museums and art centers. His work was featured in a traveling exhibition The Vibrant Vision Collection at the Morris Museum in Augusta, GA and the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC.
Llanes is also an avid art collector in his own right, focusing on works by artists from Cuba, and particularly those from his native province of Pinar del Río. A selection of works from his collection was exhibited at City Gallery in Charleston in 2013 and in the Art Museum in Myrtle Beach in 2015.
In 2015 Llanes relocated with his family to Miami in order to take advantage of the city’s international art market and vibrant cultural life and to be closer to his home country. South Florida is, of course, home to a large community of intellectuals, collectors, and fellow artists who have welcomed Llanes into their cosmopolitan scene. His first solo exhibition in Miami took place at Miami Dade College West, this exhibition was entitled “Preserving Cultural Heritage” and it featured a large collection of coffee paintings.
In 2017 he met Bill Meek of the Harmon Meek Gallery in Naples, FL marking the beginning of a great professional and personal relationship. In the same year Llanes presented his series “Marble Trace” at the Northwestern State University in Louisiana, the following year they offered him an artist in residency. In 2022 he had a solo exhibition at the Butler Institute of American Art and had the opportunity of participating on Arts and Poets event at the DeLand Art.
His art is on permanent exhibition in the Denver Art Museum – Denver, CO, Ogunquit Museum of American Art – ME, Cornell Fine Arts Museum Rollins College, Snite Museum of Art – South Bend, Indiana, Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL, The Arkansas Arts Center, Museum of Fine Arts – Little Rock, Arkansas, Museum of Art – DeLand’s – DeLand, FL and Museum collection of Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach, SC.
The topics in his works have a strong folkloric character directly connected with the Cuban landscape, often portrayed with a magical lens of new interpretations. Conceptually, his works have focused on the dynamics of narrative and the forging of fables and allegories. The incidental details have given way to reformulations of settings and images, which are faithful to the gist of each tale that Reynier presents. For the years to come, Reynier would continue to work with institutions and communities in a series of projects focused on exploring the diverse sides of human nature and his exploration of art mediums and techniques. As great artists inspired him, he aims to encourage and inspire others to create and pursue a visual arts career. He will support the new generations and continue creating a door to express the inexpressible with his art.
Reynier Llanes (Pinar del Río, 1985)
Awards & Accolades
2023
- Festival Juror at Fall Festival of the Arts. 30th Annual Fine Art Festival at DeLand, Florida.
2018
- Artist in Residence at Northwestern State University of Louisiana.
2012
- OXFORD ***AMERICA*** 100 Under 100: The New Superstars of Southern Art.
2011
- First Place Award – Moja Art Festival Juried Exhibition Award – Avery Research Institute – College of Charleston, Charleston, SC.
- Mayor’s Purchase Award: Reynier Llanes for King of Rhythm. 28th Annual Moja Arts Juried Art Exhibition. Charleston, SC.
- Artist in Residence and Academic Administration Award – Jonathan Green Studios, Inc. – Charleston, SC.
2007
- Special Mention, October 20th Day of Culture – Pedro Junco Gallery, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
- Special Mention, October 20th Instructors of Art – House of the Young Creator Gallery, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
2006
- Second Place, Guernica – Beach Museum, Havana, Cuba.
Museums & Public Art Collections
- The Butler Institute of American Art – Youngstown, Ohio
- Denver Art Museum – Denver, CO.
- Museum of Art – DeLand, FL.
- Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College – Lakeland, FL.
- The Arkansas Arts Center, Museum of Fine Arts – Little Rock, Arkansas.
- Snite Museum of Art, Univ of Notre Dame– South Bend, Indiana.
- Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College– Winter Park, FL.
- Face to Face: Artists’ Self-Portraits from the collection of Jackye and Curtis Finch, Jr – Little Rock, Arkansas.
- Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum – Myrtle Beach, SC.
- City of Charleston – Permanent art collection, Charleston, SC.
- Miami Dade Collage – West Campus, Miami, FL.
- Gaviña Gourmet Coffee – Vernon, California.
- Vibrant Vision Collection of Caribbean Art – Jonathan Green & Richard Weedman.
- Eastman School of Music, Univ. of Rochester – NY
- Drury University Art Collection – Springfield, MO
- Missouri State University Art Collection – Springfield, MO.
- John Goodman Amphitheater, Missouri State Univ.- Springfield, MO
- University of Missouri Art Collection – Columbia, MO
- Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples – FL
- Evangel University Art Collection – Springfield, MO
- Ohio Wesleyan Univ Art Collection – Delaware, OH
- Ozark Technical Community College – Springfield, MO
- Midwest Museum of American Art – Elkhart, IN
- Ft. Wayne Museum of Art – IN
- Morris Museum of Art – Augusta, GA
- Ogunquit Museum of American Art – ME
Museum and Gallery Solo Exhibitions
2024
- As striking as a beautiful storm. Gibbs Museum of Art- Charleston, South Carolina.
2023
- Timeless Origins. Polk Museum of Art – Lakeland, Florida
- What is Essential is Invisible to the Eye – Harmon-Meek Gallery. Naples, FL
2022
- What is Essential is Invisible to the Eye- Butler Institute of American Art – Youngstown, Ohio (Oct)
- Where there is no Frontier – Museum of Art – Deland, Florida (Summer)
- Where there is no Frontier – Harmon-Meek Gallery. Naples, FL
2021
- Where there is No Frontier -Burrough-Chapin Museum – Myrtle Beach, SC
- Chronicles -Harmon-Meek Gallery, Naples, FL
2020
- Book of Life – Harmon-Meek Gallery, Naples, Fl
2019
- Lineage. University of Houston, Texas.
- Reynier Llanes’ Solo Exhibition. Harmon-Meek Gallery, Naples, FL.
2018
- Subtle Ways of Blue. Harmon Meek-Gallery, Naples, FL.
2017
- Faces in the Crowd. Polk Art Museum. Lakeland, FL.
- The Figure in American Art. Polk Art Museum New Art Museum Collection. Lakeland, FL.
- Marble Trace. Northwestern State University of Louisiana- Natchitoches, LA.
- Reynier Llanes’ Solo Exhibition. Harmon-Meek Gallery, Naples, FL.
- Marble Trace. The University of South Carolina – Etherredge Center, The University of South Carolina, Aiken, SC.
2015
- The Vibrant Vision Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman. San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art –August 13, 2015 – October 18, 2015. San Diego, California.
- Voices of an Island – Cuban Art Collection of Reynier Llanes. Franklin G. Burroughs ~ Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum, in Myrtle Beach, SC.
- Preserving a Cultural Heritage. The Coffee Paintings of Reynier Llanes. Miami Dade Collage – West Campus, Miami, FL.
2014
- Exhibition of Art from The Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman. Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA.
- Espressonism. Cuban Espresso Coffee Paintings by Reynier Llanes. Gallery 2014, Hollywood, FL.
2013
- Passionate Collectors and 25 years of Jonathan Green (The Barbara Burgess and JohnDinkelspiel Art Collection). Franklin G. Burroughs ~ Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum, Myrtle Beach, SC.
- The Spirit of the Coffee Bean, The Coffee Paintings of Reynier Llanes (Solo Show). Collier County Museum, Naples, Florida.
- Vision: The Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman. Gibbes Museum of Arts, in Charleston, South Carolina.
- INCOGNITO at Friends of Art 2013. Naples Museum of Arts (Current museum’s name: Artis—Naples the Baker Museum), in Naples, FL.
- The Spirit of the Coffee Bean. Collier County Museum (The depot Museum), in Naples, FL.
2012
- INCOGNITO at Friends of Art 2012. Naples Museum of Arts (Current museum’s name: Artis—Naples the Baker Museum), in Naples, FL.
- Anecdotes from a Diary. Reynier Llanes (Solo Show) at Dunes Properties Studio in Charleston, SC.
- The Spirit of the Coffee Bean. Saul Alexander Gallery at the Main Library, Charleston, SC.
2011
- Preserving a Cultural Heritage, The Coffee Paintings of Reynier Llanes (Solo Show). Franklin G. Burroughs ~ Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum, in Myrtle Beach, SC.
2010
- Artist Studio Tour 2010 – Friends of Art at the Patty and Jake Baker, Naples Museum of Art (Current museum’s name: Artis—Naples the Baker Museum), Naples, FL.
- Preserving a Cultural Heritage. The Coffee Paintings of Reynier Llanes Gallery Chuma, Charleston, SC.
2009
- Have a Seat. Naples Museum of Art, Naples, FL.
2008
- 2nd Annual Art Expressions of Latin America Exhibit. Museum of History, Fort Myers, FL.
- Stranger Visitor. Reynier Llanes Studio/Gallery, Naples, FL.
2006
- Guernica with Havana Artists. Museo de Playa (Beach Museum), Havana, Cuba.
Group Exhibitions
2023
- Poetic Visions, Museum of Art- DeLand, DeLand, FL.
2022
- Voices of the Island, Finnegan/ Hyness Gallery, FL.
- Voices of the Island, Finnegan/ MDC North Campus, Miami, FL.
- Many Moons”, Robert Lange Studios Gallery, Charleston, SC
- CollaboARTive “Inside the Lines”- Saladrigas Gallery, Belen Jesuit, Miami, FL
2021
- Voices of the Island, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, at Grand Atrium Gallery, Charleston, SC.
2019
- Motus in Tempus, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, at Grand Atrium Gallery, Charleston, SC
- Them, Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, at Grand Atrium Gallery, Charleston, SC.
2018
- Virgen, Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami, Miami, Fl.
- Vibrant Vision: African Diaspora and African American Artists. Crealdé School of Art, Winter Park, FL.
- Los Cuatro cubanos, Northwestern State University of Louisiana, Natchitoches, LA.
2017
- Visual Therapy. Conde Contemporary – City Center Way in Pembroke Pines, FL.
2015
- Call Up the Figure. The Von Liebig Art Center. Naples, FL.
2014
- Cosmic Connections. Art Basel Miami – Contemporary Art Projects USA, Miami, FL.
2013
- The Art Pinar del Rio, Cuba – The art collection of Reynier Llanes. The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs, Charleston, SC.
- International Group Exhibition – Contemporary Artists of Pinar del Rio, North Charleston City Hall, North Charleston, SC.
2010
- Latin Cultural Fusion – Art of Pinar Del Rio, Cuba (The Reynier Llanes Art Collection). Dunes Properties Studio Gallery, Charleston, SC.
- Artist Studio Tour 2010. Friends of Art at the Patty and Jake Baker, Naples Museum of Art, Naples, FL.
2009
- Moja Art Festival. Jonathan Green and Protégé, City Gallery at Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC.
- Latin Art Show. Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Fort Myers, FL.
- Fiesta Cubana. Naples Yacht Club, Naples, FL.
- The Culturalists. Jonathan Green Art Collection, Naples, FL.
- Latin America Masters. Jonathan Green Art Collection, Naples, FL.
- A Latin Art Affair. Harbor side Convention Center, Fort Myers, FL.
- Cross Cultural Reflections. Jonathan Green Art Collection, Naples, FL.
2007
- October 20th Day of Culture. Pedro Junco Municipal Gallery, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
- Art Young. House of the Young Creator Gallery, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
- Tribute to 50th Anniversary of Independence of Malaysia. Maybank, Malaysia.
- Exhibition with co-artist Silvio Martinez. Bogota, Colombia.
- 3rd Exhibition of Art Instructors. Pedro Junco Municipal Gallery, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
2006
- December 14 Junco Municipal Gallery. Cuba
- October 20th Graduation of Instructors of Arts. Cine Said, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
- “Guernica” with Havana Artists. Beach Museum, Havana, Cuba.
- Memorial for Jose Marti. Havana, Cuba.
- Tiburcio Lorenzo Hall. Headquarters of the UNEAC, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
- Group Exhibition. Gallery Viñales, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
- Arte Joven. House of The Young Creator Gallery, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
- May Pilgrimages. Holguin, Cuba.
- Oil Painting. Pedro Junco Municipal Gallery, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
2005
- First National Exhibition of Art Instructors. Ciego de Avila, Cuba.
- Tiburcio Lorenzo Hall. Headquarters of the UNEAC, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
- National Exhibition of Art Instructors. Cuba Arts Pavilion, Havana, Cuba.
Community Projects
2006
- Mural with the artist Juan Miguel Suarez. Home for the Elderly, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
2005
- Mural with the artist Yaciel Martinez Sanchez. Instructors School of Art, Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
