Avant-Garde Graphic Artist Was Coconut Grove Favorite in ‘70s
Women’s History Month: Highlighting Gigi Aramescu

03/10/21

By: I. S.

Lots of people love Miami for the sunshine and beaches. But those in the know, have been coming here for the art scene for decades.

Even before Christo and Jeanne-Claude brought their Surrounded Islands to Biscayne Bay in the 1980s, Miami was drawing young artists with ideas and plenty of swagger. This art migration fueled the rise of iconic showcases such as the Coconut Grove Arts Festival (1952), and the Lowe Art Museum’s Beaux Arts Festival of Art (1963), both of which still exist today.

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This scene was like a magnet for Gigi Aramescu, a young attorney who had already exhibited at Lowe Art Gallery at the University of Miami by the time she and her husband moved to Miami in 1957.

Born on July 25th, 1910 in Galați, Romania, Georgeta “Gigi” Aramescu, sometimes known as Aramesco while living in the U.S., became part of the Coconut Grove art scene that included artists such as Edna Glaubman and Tony Scornavacca.

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Her graphic work incorporated her Romanian heritage, including references to embroidery and other aspects of the culture. Reviews of Gigi Aramescu’s work praised her skill and the sincerity in her pieces.

She died in 1994, leaving to the Miami-Dade Public Library System a treasure trove of original works of art, which are being incorporated into the Digital Collections.

Mad Dog
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Untitled
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Take some time to explore the artwork and documents in the Gigi Aramescu collection!