Miguel Paredes: Breaking Down the Walls
Emerging from the vibrant streets of New York City, Miguel Paredes brings a fresh perspective to the world of art as he redefines urban artistry and fine art. Inspired by the avant-garde [...]
Artists /
Miguel Paredes
1966–
Whenever and wherever the art of Miguel Paredes is on view, it’s show time! This quintessential New Yorker combines a bit of Broadway with a dash of Tokyo’s fabled Ginza, Seoul’s Gangnam style, Miami’s South Beach and the Vegas strip in his utterly original, high-energy art. He has captivated a global audience of fans who adore his gifts for storytelling in painting, sculpture, murals (including 3D murals), fashion, NFTs and an animated TV series. With a collector base that stretches from Manhattan to Tokyo, Paredes is an international presence on the art and entertainment scene.
A protégé of Andy Warhol’s illustrious studio collaborator Ronnie Cutrone, Paredes early on made his name as a graffiti writer in his native New York, then made the transition to establishing himself as a Pop artist with his own eye-catching graphic style that delivers sexy characters and action figures in vibrant colors and crisp outlines. You can see the graffiti foundation in such paintings as Love Story, where he imitates the effects of spray paint on city walls with just a touch of reference to such artists as Haring and Banksy. He is best known for his take on the Japanese anime aesthetic, including the voluptuous girls with their come-hither looks and martial arts fighters who burst into action. These irresistible characters include Pulgha, a magical flea, and her friends, who have been turned into a branded, animated sit-com series. Paredes has an appetite for cutting-edge innovations in materials and media, moving easily between the painter’s easel, the illustrator’s desk, the animator’s screen and the sculpture studio.
READ MORE + Personal History Paredes was born and raised on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, graduating from the high school that inspired the movie Fame. Like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, he is also a graduate of the city’s graffiti culture, with a sense of the gritty and pulsating life of the city as his canvas that translates seamlessly into his paintings inspired by the Big Apple. Paredes created the New York Stories series, pioneering a style he calls Urban Realism. Now Miami-based, where he lives with his wife and their five children, he works in the city’s prestigious Wynwood Arts District (which lures thousands of tourists a month to its galleries and outdoor murals). Paredes has his own gallery devoted solely to his work near a mural he made in 2010 that is a landmark as well as a massive tile mosaic. He is the first Miami-Dade resident to be honored by proclamations from the City of Miami Beach and Village of Pinecrest for his support of the Miami Design Preservation League’s Art Deco Welcome Center. His work has been featured every year at Art Basel Miami Beach since 2001 Accomplishments To inquire about collecting the artwork of Miguel Paredes, attend one of Park West’s online auction weekends or contact a sales associate at either sales@parkwestgallery.com or (866) 995-0904 ext. 4.
