Gables architecture firm combines holiday party with art exhibition

By Miami’s Community Newspapers staff

Originally published January 20, 2020 on Coral Gables News

Permuy Architecture hosted its second annual “Art + Architecture” holiday art exhibition on Friday, Dec. 13. The event took place in the firm’s Coral Gables office at 2717 Ponce De Leon Blvd. and featured artworks by renown Cuban artists Baruj Salinas and the late José Mijares (1921-2004).

Building on the success of the inaugural exhibition, this year’s turnout exceeded 200. In attendance were several community leaders including former Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick and former Commissioner Jeannett Slesnick, Miami River Commission chair Horacio Aguirre as well as several artists and special guests. Each artist’s emphasis on geometry, color, and abstraction was on full display and anchored by the architectural context.

The firm began the unique tradition in 2018 after deciding to forgo a standard corporate holiday party in exchange for a more distinct event that celebrates the company’s dynamic approach to design and the Permuy family’s legacy in the arts.

As such, the year-end exhibition always takes place on a Friday as a nod to the “Friday Gallery Nights” of the famed Coral Gables-based Permuy Gallery of the 1970s, one of the first Cuban fine art galleries in South Florida following the Cuban Revolution.

The holiday exhibition also celebrated the firm’s achievements during the year, including the topping-off of the high-profile City Zero fitness center project, developed by Zumba Fitness founder Beto Perez and Palomar South Beach Hotel.

Another highlight was the announcement that Miami-Dade County passed a resolution in October to designate a key portion of S. Miami Avenue that borders US1 and Brickell Avenue as “Jesús A. Permuy Street” in early 2020 to honor the career of firm principal Jesús Permuy.