LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Metro Hall has some new artwork.
Outgoing Mayor Greg Fischer's official portrait was hung in the Mayor's Gallery at Metro Hall.
The piece features Fischer standing in front of the Big Four Bridge, which opened during his tenure.
“Yes, I'm looking off into the future, the bridge is a symbol to the future, and then you'll see the figures off to the side are people that aren't white, and you'll see women there as well, you'll see immigrants, different faiths represented. That to me is what the future is,” he said.
City officials say artist Gamez de Francisco was chosen to execute the portrait because of his skill and growing national reputation as a painter in realism style.
Fischer said Francisco added several small details to the painting, including a butterfly and a bee to symbolize freedom in the city of Muhammad Ali.
The Mayor said he believes Francisco’s experiences as an immigrant helped inform his design.
The artist was born in post-revolutionary Cuba to a Cuban-Spanish mother and a Cuban-American father, he arrived in the U.S. with $650 at the age of 21 knowing no English.
Mayor Fischer has long been a supporter and friend to Gamez de Francisco, now a highly regarded artist whose work has been exhibited at museums and in shows throughout the United States.
“The mayor has supported my career since I came to Louisville from Cuba,” said Gamez de Francisco. “And when Mayor Fischer said he wanted me to paint his portrait, I was very honored. I wanted to do my best because I know how important this is for him and his legacy.”
The portrait reportedly took two years to complete.
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