Jose Erasto Ramirez AKA Pepe Ramirez

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Pepe and Maribel moonlighting in New York's Greenwich Village, during one of their many nights out together!

Pepe,

My mentor my uncle, my most valuable and admired friend.

Pepe was a rare sort of person, multi faceted, deeply concerned and dedicated to the arts in general and to his work as a painter. Whatever he did, he did it with the dedication of a true professional with a deep insight and great imagination.

Pepe was extremely intelligent and witty, with an excellent art background, very knowledgeable in music, poetry and literature, he was an excellent actor, a finest illustrator, he did everything with distinction, from making a line to designing a theatre production. He was one of the most interesting Cuban painter working at the time. And unlike many of his colleagues he never settled for superficial techniques or a single minded approach.

He always looked for inner meanings and new answers.

He was continuously experimenting with new forms, creating, innovating and growing with every new painting or drawing bringing with each new project that deeply professional commitment which is the root of all true artistic achievement.

I can honestly said that he still ranks with the best.

And undoubtedly, he had a major contribution to make to the arts, as he was undoubtedly a major talent of his generation.

Art was Pepe’s life!

His work originated in the Cuban Contemporary School, and always maintained his native spontaneity and his individual interpretation. The use of the elements acquire a new meaning on Pepe’s palette and he maintained an innate fresh outburst of magical ingenuity that allow the beauty of his art to emerge.

He endured many hardships to pursue his dreams, and he had many important things to said, many were never said, he had just the right combination of talent, perseverance and the necessary deep human felling to say them.

His life was cut short in 1973 at 37 years of age.

There is no replacement for Pepe in my lifetime.

Maribel C. Spiropoulos