The Abstract Paintings of Bruno Duarte
#gwsays – THE TANTALIZING ABSTRACT PAINTINGS OF BRUNO DUARTE…are causing the art world cognoscenti to stand up and take notice. Or in this instance–pedal to the metal to see the latest works live and up close. Two enthralling canvases from the West Coast based painter aptly displaying the bright, flashy exuberant– broad and visceral– brushstrokes that have nade him the talk of the art whirl. Innovative abstract paintings drawing subtly on his Mexican heritage. There is an engaging bold hue especially to this signature work now on sale at the GBG Gallery- 462 Broadway- in the iconic art district of Soho, Manhattan.
Born in Mexico’s Oaxaca rgeion, Bruno Duarte draws on both his personal and collective histories. ”He’s blending myth and modern life through the lens of his cultural heritage. So whilst the work is mostly rooted in his Mexican naarative, the work most so speaks to the
universal human experience,” exalts his art gallery dealer Georges Berges. His work has been exhibited internationally and is held
in both private and public collections worldwide. So GW made it his imperative to peobe the cereative vernacular and mind-set of the artist and his newest work.
GEORGE WAYNE- Mexican myths and urban legends…how has that aspect of your heritage-cultural-lore instigated your visual narrative?
Mexican culture is overflowing with visual language—geometry, saturated color, symbolic forms. My roots are in Baja California, which is itself a borderland of influences: the Pacific Rim, the U.S., even the Portuguese blood of my great-grandfather, who was a whale fisherman. But what has always inspired me most are the pinturas rupestres of Baja—that are around 7,500 years old. Monumental figures painted in red, black, and ochre, telling cosmic stories on rock walls. They are not just art, they are myths made visible. I see myself in that continuum: carrying those ancestral voices forward, transforming them into new symbols and abstract forms on canvas.
GW- Did you grow up being told scary stories by your Mum about La Llorona or El Cucuy?
BD-Of course, on a weekly basis, La Llorona, El Cucuy and the Lady in white.
GW– Have you ever visited Malba? It is currently the buzziest art commune in South America. The new campus of the Museo de Arte Latino Americano de Buenos Aires on the outskirts of BA? That would make the perfect permanent home for some of your astounding canvases!
BD—It’s on my list for 2026
GW- Who is the typical collector of your work?
BD–Someone who is not afraid of a strong painting that grows in time with discovery. They reveal themselves with time, layer by layer, like friendship or love.
GW– Probing more on the method and how you blend your rich cultural roots onto your canvases?
BD– By refusing to dilute them. Boldness, saturated pigments, forms that feel timeless. Every brushstroke has to carry weight.
GW– Describe your artistic integrity, Bruno Duarte.
BD– For me, integrity is instinct. It means being true to what I feel and want, without compromise. I let my instinct run free like a child—curious, fearless, unfiltered. Then I live with the work in silence for two weeks. If it still speaks to me after that, it’s honest. If not, it never leaves the studio.
GW–According to culturista.com, the buzziest Mexican artists of 2025 include Ruffino Tamayo or Gabriel Orozco– but no Bruno Duarte. Is it a dream to be the next Mexican-American artist du jour?
BD—I admire the work of the Mexican Modernist. They inspire me to be better.
GW- Your particular artistic journey began at what age, Bruno Duarte?
BD–Since kindergarten. I grabbed a box of crayons and did not regret it.
GW–Do you work with other media besides paint and canvas?
BD– I’m experimenting. I believe every artist should break their own habits.
GW–The universal themes filtered through your Mexican-American West Coast identity have global appeal. The figurative meander of your narrative speaks to GW most intriguingly. The eye-catching colours…the patina of the Mayan blues meandering to the rust colours–an abject haze–quite interesting.
BD—I once had a religious moment at a museum. I stood before a Pre-Columbian piece, in which the artist expressed the divine. That’s the sensation I chase: abstract forms that still vibrate with the sacred.
GW–Mexico City and Mexican art are having quite a moment. Would you ever consider returning home to live and paint in the land of your birth?
BD—It’s always with me. I close my eyes and see a beautiful bay, feel the cool breeze, smell the salty ocean, and take in the sunny day to get inspired.
GW– By the way, were you born in the creative and legendary fecund of the province Oaxaca?
BD— No, I was born in Baja California. Oaxaca carries centuries of artistic lineage, yes, but Baja tells a different story—one that is newer, rawer, and just as important. The peninsula has been home to many native peoples: the Cochimí, Kumeyaay, Cucapá, Paipai, Kiliwa, each leaving a cultural and spiritual imprint on the land. Later came waves of migrants: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russians, Jewish, Lebanese and Syrians; and then the Pacific migrations: Chinese, Japanese, Korean communities who helped shape agriculture, fishing, and trade. Baja is multicultural by birth. You see it in its cuisine, the vineyard Valle de Guadalupe and craft brewers that turned Baja into one of Mexico’s Wine and Beer Capitals, and in its history as a fishing frontier where survival and myth intertwined. That’s why I say Baja is still writing its artistic story. It’s a land of crossings, of invention, and I’m proud to be part of its unfolding chapter.
GW–The complex artistic expressions of your abstract brushstrokes. Discuss
BD— My work mirrors life: sometimes complicated, sometimes disarmingly simple, but always full of surprises.
GW– Tradition becomes innovative. Is that how you would define the secret?
BD– Tradition is the root; innovation is the fruit. Cut the root and the tree fades.
GW– Who is another vibrant force in the whirl of contemporary art now that you truly admire?
BD— Jean-Michel Basquiat. Love his work.
GW–Your work is abstract and expressive. But would you call it daring? And if so. Which work in particular?
BD– the Alchemist
GW– The vibrant tapestry to Bruno Duarte and his unique vision, and bringing his emotion to canvas…the process begins where and how?
BD— It’s a complex formula. My background, a need to express emotions, a subject—sometimes chosen, sometimes revealed by accident. I trust the subconscious to be braver than I am.
GW– ”My first influence is Picasso,” you have famously said. Could you expound on that thought?
BD– In high school, a teacher lectured on cubism. We were asked to do an oil pastel “in the style of Picasso.” I fell into it completely. Picasso showed me that form could be shattered and still be whole.
GW–Mexican muralism…how has that influenced your work?
BD— Scale. Expression. Color. Cultural identity. The muralists showed me how art can challenge power, speak truth, and rebel against complacency. They made walls into voices and colors into resistance.
GW–GW considers El Retorno and Lord of Pagal your most vibrant and stirring works on canvas. Keep up the great work, Bruno Duarte!
BD–Thank you, will do. Working on a new Studio because I want to create work that feels like it belongs in a museum before it even leaves the studio.
GW– So too– ”Lord Maya” and ”Frontera Nuestra”, Strong, grand astounding pieces!
BD—Thank you. Lord Maya is about our roots, our ancestry, the foundation of who we are—it’s a tribute to the civilizations and myths that shaped us, the echoes of the Maya in spirit and memory. Frontera Nuestra, on the other hand, reflects who we’ve become: the contemporary navigating in a world of borders and social divisions. It’s a meditation on context, identity, and connection—reminding us that even when separated, we are all part of the same story. Together, you could say, they form a dialogue between past and present.
