Join Carlos Ramirez 7–9 p.m. on Thursday, March 2 at his first Arizona gallery opening at Gebert Contemporary in Scottsdale.

An abstract artist and fashion designer, Ramirez has taken many unexpected turns in his life, but his arrival to Arizona was perhaps one of the least expected, a press release stated.

Ramirez was born in Cuba and moved as a child to Miami, Fla. Carlos excelled in school and earned a full scholarship to the University of Miami Law School, but during his second year, he realized that his heart was not in becoming a lawyer.

His mother had a small home sewing shop but during the 1980s recession she could not make ends meet. Since the machinery was already in place and his real passion was for design, Ramirez purchased some fabrics and designed womenswear samples. By summer, he had new designs and orders and requested a leave of absence from law school to start his ready-to-wear business.

That company, Liancarlo, went on to become one of the most successful and enduring eveningwear and bridal ateliers in the United States, according to the release. Ramirez designed using fine European fabrics and embroideries to craft his collections. The business grew with its design and manufacturing operations in Miami, and a showroom and sales team based in New York.

Ramirez’s designs were sold for decades in the couture salons of Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman and specialty stores throughout North America and Europe.

Despite his success in fashion, he started to explore new avenues for artistic expression. The years in fashion created Ramirez’s personal aesthetic and defined his relationship to color, texture and design, the release stated.

As a lifelong artist, he attended numerous workshops taught by renowned abstract and expressionist painters. Ramirez sold his company to dedicate himself exclusively to art and relocated from his homes in Coral Gables and New York and moved to Santa Fe, N.M.

Unfortunately, the cold Santa Fe Winters were challenging for the Cuban-born, Florida-raised artist. During the winters, Ramirez started traveling around the Southwest to warmer places. He spent his birthday in 2018 in Tucson.

While cycling, he explored the historic neighborhoods of Tucson and made some notes and sketched some the historic homes. According to the release, he never imagined he would move there but in 2020, he did. He renovated his historic home and built a new on-site studio.

Ramirez has had over 20 gallery shows at some of the most exclusive galleries in the U.S. and United Kingdom. His paintings are featured in many of the finest commercial and private art collections.

He hikes and bikes frequently in the Sonoran Desert landscape and is a afficionado of life in Arizona.

After a long journey, Carlos Ramirez, is finally home.

For more information about his upcoming gallery at Gebert Contemporary, visit https://us20.campaign-archive.com/?u=47ef8ed9ada7440d5450f9ca4&id=b41361e245.

Gebert Contemporary is located at 7160 E. Main Street in Scottsdale.