Pablo Antonio Milan

Pablo Antonio Milan, renowned New Mexico contemporary artist, died suddenly at home on Wednesday, May 3, 2017.

Milan started drawing and painting as a child and was accepted into his first gallery at the age of 17. At the time of his death at age 55, his paintings were in private and corporate collections all over the world including collectors such as Shakira, the Columbian rock star, and Ron Howard, actor and producer.

A prominent and recognized artist, Milan’s paintings have long been viewed as highly collectible. His paintings had a distinctive contemporary edge, both in bold colors and style. Milan brought paint onto the canvas, sprayed it with water, building brightly colored layers, often reaching 25 layers of paint, then adding splatters and often texture. The resultant paintings were a mystical illusion of Southwest imagery.

Pablo often explained that the colors in of his paintings were “those of New Mexico, the early morning sunrises, the sunsets, the high deserts and the tree laden mountains. They have nothing to do with the art school color wheel, but the colors I’ve seen all my life. I just embrace and emphasize them.”

Milan showed in galleries in Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, California, Florida and New Mexico including Milan Fine Art, a gallery he helped his brother start, the Frank Howell Gallery and his own gallery, the Pablo Milan Gallery, which closed in February 2015. His art is now being shown at The Signature Gallery in Santa Fe and Pablo Milan Gallery, an online gallery. He and his friend Ava Peets were about to open the Pablo Milan Collection in Old Town Albuquerque at the time of his passing.

Milan was named Spanish Artist of the year in 1990, featured artist in the Pink Floyd Tour in 1997, and is exhibited in three museums.

Pablo was known for his wit and humor. It was often said if you’re looking for Pablo in a crowd just follow the laughter. He could bring laughter and smiles with his jokes during the best and worst of times. Milan had a big heart, was the first to step forward to help a friend in need, as well as supporting charities with art donations including Legacy Ball and St. Joseph’s School in San Fidel, NM. He helped start a school for the arts –Centro Artistico y Cultural de Huachinera- in Sonora Mexico with his sculptor friend Jess Davila by offering up ideas, donating art for auction, getting others to donate and contacting his own clients to donate money. Where once the school was in barn, it is now housed in newly constructed buildings. And as with anything Pablo did, he brought along humor, coming up with the idea of blow up bulls purchased online for a run of the bulls for the school’s annual festival. “We laughed at first,” Davila said, “but no Pablo had a source for the bulls. The first Pablo Antonio Milan Run of the Bulls will be held this fall.”

Pablo was born in Grants to Paul L. and Hortensia R. Milan and spent his early years in Milan, NM, a town his grandparents, Salvador and Bennie Milan founded. He also was the grandson of Luis Rubio Laguerenne and Delores Ramirez Demogin. Pablo attended St. Teresa School in Grants, schools in Las Cruces, Albuquerque and finally graduating Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Tex. He attended Richland Community College before joining the Air Force. While stationed in Tokyo, Japan, he attended University art classes where he studied under a master painter that painted with watercolors. Pablo liked the technique, but not the soft colors and announced he preferred the bright colors of acrylic paint. While admonished that acrylics dried too quickly for washes, Milan went on to master the same effect creating his signature style.

Milan is survived by his parents, Paul L. and Hortensia Milan; two sisters, Tensia Simmons, Norma McDaniels and husband, Bruce; daughters, Andrea and Michelle Milan; and his grandson, Landon Turner; uncle, Pete Milan; aunt, Kathy Hocker; nieces and nephews; and his significant other, Ava Peets.

Visitation will be held Friday, May 12, 2017, 10:00 a.m., with Mass to follow at 11:00 a.m., at St. Teresa de Avila Catholic Church, 500 W. High St., Grants, NM. In lieu of flowers, contributions on behalf of Pablo Milan are being accepted by the St. Teresa School, PO Box 729, Grants, NM 87020 and the St. Joseph’s School, PO Box 370, San Fidel, NM 87049. Please visit our online guestbook for Pablo at www.FrenchFunerals.com.