Bringing Art to the People: Benjamín Fernández Galindo ’87

Benjamín Fernández Galindo first discovered his passion for art in his aunt’s gallery in Oaxaca, Mexico. 在那里，他被鲁菲诺·塔马约（Rufino Tamayo）、弗朗西斯科·托莱多（Francisco Toledo）和鲁道夫·莫拉莱斯（Rodolfo Morales）的作品所吸引，这些著名的墨西哥当代艺术家帮助瓦哈卡成为传统民间艺术的中心。 他的收藏之旅始于他以咨询工作作为交换，从画廊获得了他的第一件作品。 两年之内，他的收藏增加到四十多件。 Now, 25 years later, Benjamín has amassed one of Mexico’s largest and most diverse art collections. Yet, for him, collecting is not enough–he is driven to find ways to share his appreciation for Mexican art and culture with others. 

Benjamín eventually left consulting to focus on his portfolio of entrepreneurial businesses, which soon converged with his fascination for art. In 2008, he launched Black Coffee Gallery, a hybrid coffee shop and art gallery experience that pairs two of Mexico’s artistic traditions: Oaxaca coffee sourced from the Pluma Hidalgo region and his collection of contemporary Mexican art. “In Mexico, art is difficult to get to,” explains Benjamín. “Many people don’t want to go to the museums or the galleries because they are far away or they think they need money to buy art and it will be expensive. So through Black Coffee, we started to bring art to the people.” Customers can enjoy a traditional café de olla, spiced with cinnamon, piloncillo, anise, and orange, while browsing the work of native artists like Yuri Zatarain and Ismael Vargas. 

But it wasn’t enough for Benjamín to show the art. 他想让顾客欣赏艺术家、他们的故事和他们的手艺。 每个黑咖啡艺术装置都包括免费的明信片，上面有展出的艺术品和艺术家的简短传记，顾客可以拿走并收集。 此外，该公司每年都会选择一位艺术家作为重点关注对象，制作一本展示他们艺术作品的书，提高人们对他们作品的认识。 Benjamín believes that Black Coffee Gallery has influenced the public’s attitude toward art. “Here in Guadalajara, I think we have changed people because they have started to go to the museums. They have started to go to the galleries and buy art.” 

Benjamín’s Black Coffee Gallery collection now includes an estimated 8,000 pieces. 他的办公室、家里和咖啡店都没有墙来展示艺术品。 然而，他也即将完成一个项目，将在更大的范围内分享他对艺术的热情。 In 2012, Benjamín founded the nonprofit Museo Internacional de Arte (MINART) Foundation, to house, preserve, and research the Black Coffee Gallery Foundation’s collection. 2017年，哈利斯科州Zapopan的一座13层、6万平方英尺的MINART博物馆开始建设，他希望明年完工。 Unlike many museums in Mexico, which are housed in 18th-century buildings that cannot be climate-controlled, MINART will be a state-of-the-art institution, housing, displaying, and promoting Mexican art, including the Black Coffee Gallery Foundation’s collection. 该博物馆已经举办了一场时装秀，将以各种形式庆祝艺术，并被设计成一种社区资源。 “This will be the most important library in Guadalajara,” Benjamín notes. “We will have almost 10,000 books from contemporary art, architecture, and fashion.”

Benjamín is not done collecting, and he has expanded his scope of interest to include artists from inside and outside Mexico as well. His collection contains almost a hundred pieces by Chuck Close, and at 450 pieces, he has the world’s most extensive Rufino Tamayo collection. Even though Benjamín’s collection is growing, he never buys a piece of art just because it’s a good investment. “I think the eyes of people who like art have to change with the years,” he muses, noting that he no longer likes some of his early acquisitions. 现在，他听从了几年前姑妈给他的建议，当时他刚开始收藏，他只买自己喜欢看的作品。 “I started to buy the work of very good artists because I have another set of eyes to see art now.” 

In addition to raising the profile of native artists in Mexico, Benjamín hopes to accomplish that goal closer to home as well. 他的三个十几岁的女儿在艺术的包围中长大，并参观了世界各地的博物馆。 尽管如此，他的女儿们现在对参观博物馆不那么热情了。 “My daughters don’t want to go to the museums anymore–they’ve had enough,” he admits. 然而，他对艺术的热情使他坚定。 “Over Thanksgiving, we are going to Monterrey, where there’s a very good museum. I’m going to take them!”