Our History
The beginnings of our art collection date back to the late 1980s, when the founder, Dr. Jorge Ignacio Beltranena Rosales, began his professional practice as a dentist in Guatemala City. In his final years of career, he opened his first dental clinic located on 14th Street in Zone 10, in front of the Tiffany buildings.
At that time, Carmen Albacete De Carlos, cousin of Dr. Beltranena (married to the renowned Guatemalan sculptor Luis Carlos), opened one of the first contemporary art galleries in the country, “Plástica Contemporánea”. Located two blocks from the clinic, the art gallery quickly became popular and frequently organized exhibitions of different artists.
“At that time, the gallery exhibitions were held regularly in the evenings. Good wines, snacks and important and interesting people were part of the evenings surrounded by the talent of great masters, which made me a frequent visitor to the events” comments Dr. Beltranena.
For several years he participated in the events, getting to know more and more of the artists and investors who also frequented them, immersing himself more and more in the fascinating world of art.
In 1992, while continuing his professional practice, he had the opportunity to acquire his first work of art. A painting by Francisco Auyón, a disciple of the renowned artist and founder of the Vertebra group in the 1960s, Elmar René Rojas. At that time, the work was acquired through an exchange. A motorcycle, dental treatments and cash in installments opened the doors for him to start what is now one of the largest private collections in the country.
As the years went by, Dr. Beltranena's professional career grew in parallel with his friendship with many investors and artists in the region. His relationship with the artists opened the doors to their studios and workshops, so he could learn about and gain insight into the works they were working on, their history and inspirations. “At that moment I understood that one of the great values of art is that its works are unique, that behind them there is more than creativity and talent, which are clearly indispensable things. The stories of some of them were truly fascinating.”
Con el paso de los años el doctor fue adquiriendo algunas obras de diferentes artistas. Algunas de ellas recibidas como parte de pago por tratamientos dentales. El fenómeno va creciendo a medida que su carrera profesional despega. Los artistas se empiezan a enterar por boca de sus colegas y de un momento a otro, la colección empieza a crecer.
“Durante más de treinta años, he comprado, intercambiado y he apoyado a los artistas guatemaltecos. He conocido a grandes artistas ya consolidados y a muchos que apenas inician su trayectoria como maestros de las artes en Guatemala. He visto la carrera de muchos de ellos florecer. He tenido la oportunidad de ver genios trabajando. Además, luego de visitar algunos de los museos más importantes del mundo como lo es el Museo del Vaticano, Louvre, El Prado y El Hermitage, me doy cuenta del gran talento que existe en Guatemala”.
A lo largo de los años la colección ha evolucionado hasta tener hoy por hoy más de 500 piezas, cada una de ellas única y con diferentes valores que la hacen especial. Por último, menciona el fundador de la colección: “Después de muchos años estoy listo para compartir mis historias, pinturas, esculturas, serigrafías, dibujos y grabados con nuevos inversionistas y personas que quieran enamorarse del mundo del arte”
