Mateo Blanco (born 10 September 1981) is an American artist, singer and art collector. Blanco uses non-conventional items to create art. As an artist, Blanco is also known for his unique renditions of the American flag using uncommon textiles and materials. Many of Mateo's creations are acquired by

Ripley's Believe It or Not ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals with bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' ...

. The

Boca Raton Museum of Art Founded by artists, the Boca Raton Museum of Art was established in 1950 as the Art Guild of Boca Raton. The organization has grown to encompass an Art School, Guild, Store, and Museum with permanent collections of contemporary art, photography, ...

, The

Butler Institute of American Art The Butler Institute of American Art (BIAA), located on Wick Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, was the first museum dedicated exclusively to American art. Established by local industrialist and philanthropist Joseph G. Butler, Jr., the ...

, The

Museum of Art - DeLand The Museum of Art - DeLand, Florida (formerly the Museum of Florida Art) is a 501(c)(3) organization incorporated in the United States, US state of Florida, and is a member of the American Alliance of Museums and the Florida Association of Muse ...

, The Mennello Museum of American Art and Maja Museum in Jericó, Antioquia, Colombia is home to some of the world's most iconic pieces of art by Mateo Blanco. As an American

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

, he recorded an album titled ''Mateo Blanco 7:24''. Currently, he lives in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

Early life and education

Although he was born in the United States, his parents moved to

Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...

in 1986 where they built the ''San Mateo house'' in honor of their son. There, he lived his childhood and youth from the age of five to 19 (2000) in Colombia. In the capital of

Antioquia Antioquia is the Spanish form of Antioch. Antioquia may also refer to: * Antioquia Department Antioquia () is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the central northwestern part of Colombia with a narrow section that borders th ...

he grew up in an environment surrounded by artists and politicians, which allowed him to strengthen ties of friendship with artists, presidents, intellectuals and musicians who formed and influenced him such as

Fernando Botero Fernando Botero Angulo (19 April 1932 – 15 September 2023) was a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political ...

and his wife Sophia Vari. The latter would show and advise him - in Mateo's words - to be a complete artist with knowledge and discipline. Mateo Blanco began his formal training under the supervision of

Débora Arango Débora Arango Pérez (November 11, 1907 – December 4, 2005) was a Colombian artist, born in Medellín, Colombia as the daughter of Castor María Arango Díaz and Elvira Pérez. Though she was primarily a painter, Arango also worked in other ...

in Medellin. He studied with

Arturo Estrada Hernández Arturo Estrada Hernández (born July 30, 1925) is a Mexican painter, one of a group of Frida Kahlo’s students called “Los Fridos.” Estrada is mostly known for his mural work, which remains faithful to the figurative style and ideology of Me ...

, Jesusita Vallejo de Mora and Lola Vélez. Further, he studied Goldsmithing and Jewelry in Medellin, and, later, commercial music at

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The university is a member of the State University System of Florida and has s ...

. Mateo received a training on classical opera singing, performed in La traviata,

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play '' Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had c ...

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

and Il Trovatore. Blanco was a part of Opera house in Colombia. Blanco has also make presentations accompanied by

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

and performed for former president

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

at his birthday dinner.

Key Art-Works

* Credit Flag by Mateo Blanco, 42 credit cards 2024. * Native Flag by Mateo Blanco, Textile 2023. * Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice by Mateo Blanco, Textile 2023. * A 78X55 inches

Jennifer Lawrence Jennifer Shrader Lawrence (born August 15, 1990) is an American actress and producer. She is known for starring in both action film franchises and independent dramas, and her films have grossed over $6 billion worldwide. The List of high ...

's portrait with 9,658

Planters Planters Nut & Chocolate Company is an American snack food company now owned by Hormel Foods. Planters is best known for its processed nuts and for the Mr. Peanut icon that symbolizes them. Mr. Peanut was created by grade schooler Antonio Gent ...

peanuts. * A portrait of Tennessee native

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

made of piece of clothes without paint. * A series, “Joseph, Coat of Many Colors”, as an honor to Jewish history. * Cheetah sculptures made from Cheetos Puffs. * Portraits of singer

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

, with wooden slits carved over her image for a 2D effect. * A 3D replica of a FedEx truck with dog hair. * A 3D sculpture of

Sofía Vergara Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara (; born July 10, 1972) is a Colombian and American actress and television personality who received five nominations each at the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. She is one of the highest-paid a ...

using feathers.

Books Mentioning

2018 "Odd is Art." Ripley’s Believe It or Not! 2019 Meyer, Edward. "Buying the Bizarre: Confessions of a Compulsive Collector".

Films About

2021 "Caged Bird" (film about Mateo Blanco), Fusion Fest; Orlando, Florida

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanco, Mateo Living people American male artists Artists from Orlando, Florida American tenors Ripley's Believe It or Not! 1981 births