“I can’t stop painting tomatoes!” says artist Kevin Berlin. “Who doesn’t desire a tomato? They are a beautiful color and shape. Alone or combined with other ingredients, they are delightful to eat. To me each tomato is miracle. Each tomato is a new world. And so I paint them.”
Just in time for Miami Art Week, Berlin is unveiling 56 original paintings of tomatoes, created in Florence, Italy, where he first visited 18 years ago. Appropriately, his colorful artwork will be on display next to local fruits and veggies in the Monday night farmers market at the Arsht Center in downtown Miami, also home to chef Allen’s farm-to-table dinner.
Artist Kevin Berlin Photo–Ben Fractenberg
South Florida’s growing interest in farm-fresh produce follows a great tradition established centuries ago in Italy, says Berlin. “The Italians understood early on with their deep understanding of cibo sana (healthy food) and la dolce vita (the sweet lifestyle), the importance of being able to go to a market every few days to buy spese (groceries) that are truly fresh. In Florence in addition to the famous Mercato San Lorenzo and Sant’Ambrogio markets, there are also lots of tiny markets and weekly fresh food markets.”
It’s easy to understand why the Slow Food movement started in Italy, Berlin says. “Eating in a rush or while walking is unheard of in Florence. It is unimaginable for most Florentines to think that they would eat vegetables, fruits, meats, cheeses and pasta that is not just made or fresh picked from a nearby hillside. This is a secret to Italians’ long life and good health.“
“While my art is perhaps best known for large-scale oil paintings of people and monumental bronze sculptures of classical ballet dancers, I also work small scale on paper,” says Berlin. “Each tomato painting is an original work, gouache on hand-cut paper. Each tomato painting follows Renaissance tradition of drawing from life as the basis for expression and development of ideas.
Berlin is an American artist whose works are found in collections all over the world, including those of Quincy Jones, Buzz Aldrin, Bill and Hillary Clinton, president George W. Bush, General Motors Corporation, Hawaiian Tropic, Resistol/Stetson Hats, National YoungArts Foundation and Carnival Cruise Lines. Visit his website: kevinberlin.com
FIND OUT MORE
Meet Kevin Berlin at his Fresh Tomatoes stand at Market Mondays at the Arsht Center, Monday, Dec. 2 from 4-8:30. You can also reserve seats for chef Allen’s farm-to-table dinner featuring – naturally – tomatoes. More here.
