subject: Famous Artist Opens Swansea Gallery [print this page] Famous Artist Opens Swansea Gallery Famous Artist Opens Swansea Gallery
Argentinean artist Fabian Perez was able to add some glamour to the opening of a Swansea art gallery.Perez officially opened the revamped The Ice House art gallery and wine bar, a former dockside ice factory, which had been bought and converted by the Coastal Galleries group, reported this is South Wales.Coastal Galleries partners Chris Elliott and Lorna Coppin, who invested 80,000 into transforming the Grade II listed building, accompanied Perez as they meet around 150 visitors at the preview launch.Chris Elliott told the publication: "It went really well. It was busy all the time and quite a few sales went through. The Ice House will be quite a draw for people. A lot of our customers come from quite far away."Fabian Perez prints are among the main attractions at the gallery and Mr Elliott said that he feels positive about the future of the business."A lot of people were unsure what kind of response we would get here but it is such an interesting concept and such an interesting building that we are very confident it is going to work," he told the site.Australian entertainment legend Rolf Harris made an appearance in The Ice House recently where he promoted his touring exhibition Rolf on Art in celebration of his eightieth birthday.Rolf Harris prints were on display in the gallery and attracted a large amount of interest from local residents and art enthusiasts.He told Wales Online: "You end up going along to these exhibitions and you don't even manage to get round the paintings, there are so many people coming up to you and asking for your autograph and wanting to talk about the work, it's nice."Fabian Perez is no stranger to Britain despite being based in California as the artist made a personal appearance at the Breeze Gallery in Glasgow to unveil his new collection entitled 'Temptation'.The Argentinean was there to sign copies of his new book 'All The Romance We left Behind' as well as original Fabian Perez prints.A large turnout at the event demonstrated that there is a growing demand for Fabian Perez prints as they are becoming more desirable and collectable, according to the gallery's website.Fabian Perez shot to fame when art publishers and gallery owners saw an exhibition of his work in 2001 and worked with him to advance his burgeoning career.Perez spends his time painting, playing soccer and teaching martial arts to friends when he is not touring Britain.
