QCC to Exhibit Three Generations of Spanish Family's Art Work

will host a three-month exhibit of paintings and drawings by three generations of Spain's Aguilera family that will debut in October.

"Three Generations," which will run from Oct. 12 to Jan. 5 at QCC's art gallery, will feature depictions of bullfights, carnivals and other aspects of Spanish village life by Raphael, Florencio and Chencho Aguilera. The paintings and drawings were inspired by the family members' lives in Ayamonte, Spain.

"The three generations of the Aguilera family have each given us their perspectives on society, each in their own unique way, through the good and bad periods of twentieth century Spain," said Faustino Quintanilla, executive director of Queensborough's gallery. "The traditional folk art that Rafael produces gives us a chance to look at others as we would look at ourselves, while Florencio's art brings us into a new world altogether. Chencho conveys the strong urge to look into the unknown. The wonder is that they each generated a totally new vision of life that could be considered within the mind of the viewer."

Florencio Aguilera, whose studio is in Ayamonte's Plaza de San Francisco, has exhibited his work throughout Europe, South America and the United States. In 2005, he was named a scholar of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Cadiz.

Chencho Aguilera was inspired by the work of his father, Florencio, and, grandfather, Raphael, who died in 1998.

"I remember my grandfather painting in his tiny studio, surrounded by big canvases inhabited by characters that flooded his colorful world," Chencho Aguilera said.

The exhibit will be the first Spanish-influenced show at QCC since 2008's collection of Pablo Picasso prints.

QCC's art gallery is located at 222-05 56th Ave. in Bayside. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

For more information, visit the gallery's website.