Franco Mondini Ruiz

"Matisse with Menthol"

A visit to Franco Mondini Ruiz's house was like a trip to eye-candyland for a child raised on food stamps. Ceramic, smoking monkeys hung out next to pink flamingos while kittens lounged luxuriously around a grand cage of birds. The entire environment was a beautiful mess of decadent, baroque frivolity, part Warholian Factory, part Renaissance workshop. Franco was very generous and candid with his knowledge of the artworld and shared his dirty little secrets about the unspoken hustles he has incorporated into the pursuit of a successful career. He has made an art of marketing his art to the right people, the rich people and yet at the same time the mass-production of his pieces with the help of his assistants keeps it grounded in a pop sensibility. Franco mixes high and low elements with a sharp sense of humor to create clever, witty pieces that speak on many different levels.

Franco is an excellent businessman who has thought up many innovative ways to make his dream of being an artist a reality. It was very inspiring to see a successful artist living the life I'm sure many of my fellow students and myself included aspire to. Of course he put us all to work, giving us a taste of what it feels like to be a cog in his money-making machine, and in exchange he collaborated with us on a piece. Very clever...But he paid us kindly with enchilada plates and beer. Yum yum, thank you Franco.