<p>Regulars on the list of top art collectors in Miami and beyond, the couple has assembled one of Miami’s finest collections of contemporary art</p>

Riki Altman-Yee

Spotlight on Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz

<p>‘We started collecting contemporary art when we moved with our children to Miami from Madrid in 1975,’ Rosa de la Cruz says. ‘At first, the artworks were of Latin American artists. Soon after, we transformed to focus on work from contemporary international artists.’ She and Carlos have works from many American and international artists as well. Prior to 2002, the de la Cruzes would open their home by appointment to contemporary art lovers, but once Art Basel Miami Beach came around, they kicked up their efforts. ‘We thought it was important to showcase Miami artists,’ Rosa says. ‘Carlos and I went to see our friend [real estate developer] Craig Robins and asked him if he could give us a space for an exhibition in the Design District. He was very generous, and his response was, “Take as much space as you want!”’</p>

<p>They chose the second floor of the Moore Building where they hosted an exhibition of 26 Miami artists, curated by Dominic Molon, who, at the time, was a curator at MOCA Chicago. ‘We were able to keep it open as a <em>kunsthalle</em> for eight years,’ she says. ‘This effort helped us connect Miami to the international art scene.’</p><p>In 2009, Carlos, who is the chairman of CC1 Companies, a Coca-Cola bottler in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, and Rosa, who is the company’s director and treasurer, took another giant step, opening the 30,000-square-foot de la Cruz Collection in Miami Design District. There is almost no way to count the seemingly infinite number of works within, but every time visitors step inside, they are guaranteed a fresh spectacle. The space has presented some of the couple’s significant Art Basel Miami Beach purchases over the years, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8519/Ugo-Rondinone" target="_blank">Ugo Rondinone</a>’s <em>Clockwork for Oracles II</em>, a monumental installation composed of 52 mirrored windows, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/7142/Rob-Pruitt" target="_blank">Rob Pruitt</a>’s <em>Us</em>, with its 127 panels of scribbled faces on prismatic panels. </p>

<p>‘We never limit the scope of the collection based on the medium in which an artist works, the place they are from or how the artist identifies themselves within their practice,’ Rosa explains. ‘What is important to us are the ideas artists are communicating and how we connect with their work. It’s important that new acquisitions be in conversation with works that have provided the foundation of our museum’s focus.’</p><p>This year, the admission-free space presents ‘Together, at the Same Time’, an exhibition of paintings, sculptures and site-specific installations that will span all three stories. ‘Our annual exhibitions represent the collection’s history and revisit works within the context of the moment,’ Rosa says. ‘Art that interests us pushes the boundaries of image making and process. And while it may take on different forms of abstraction, figuration, and materiality, they create an opportunity for conversation. We feel that conversation should be inclusive of the viewer and allows them to engage with the work based on their own experiences. This creates interesting interpretations which add to the richness of experiencing art with the many visitors who come to our space.’</p><p>This article was originally commissioned for the&nbsp;<em>Art Basel Miami Beach&nbsp;</em>magazine 2022.</p><p>‘Together, at the Same Time’ will be open at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.delacruzcollection.org" target="_blank">de la Cruz Collection</a> from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm daily during Art Basel Miami Beach.</p><p>Please see also Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz as part of Conversations Art Basel Miami Beach 2022 <a href="https://www.artbasel.com/stories/conversations-art-basel-miami-beach-2022-the-miami-effect">'The Miami Effect: the Craig Robins, de la Cruz, and Margulies Collections'</a>.</p>

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Regulars on the list of top art collectors in Miami and beyond, the couple has assembled one of Miami’s finest collections of contemporary art

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