Best Collection of Chicano Art: Roman and Maria Villareal – South Chicago

The Villareals are an artistic Chicano-Tejano family with a vast collection of Chicano (Mexican American) art in their home and studio on Chicago’s East Side. We met at the family’s gallery, Nine 3 Studios on 9300 S. South Chicago Ave. Maria, the family matriarch, walked me to the open garage studio area, where I said hello to DTEL, an artist who shares studio space with Roman, Maria’s husband. There is almost always live art happening at Nine 3. Roman’s apprentice was working on one of two huge turtle sculptures. Roman later said that this is his last big scale work. 

The Villareal home has two floors full of Chicano arte, much of it made by the many artists they call friends or family. Very little wall space is left bare. 

These walls were not white. Their blue, yellow, lavender, and red walls were decorated with hundreds of art pieces made by artists such as Gamaliel Ramirez, L/W Vasquez, R Ferreyea, Francisco Mendoza, Marcos Raya, Sal Vega, Traz, and Jeff Maldonado, all artists from across the midwest, and many of them graffiti artists. The first floor houses Roman’s archive of his paintings, stacked along the walls, with most featuring his iconic portraits of brown people, many without eyes, reminiscent of cholos and pachucos. I feel lucky to be welcome into the home of one of my favorite artists. 

Maria offered me some mango Jumex as we walked through the second floor. She laughed when Roman opened the door to a bedroom, saying, “Nothing is ever private!” Sprinkled throughout the home are family photos of their fifty years of marriage. I felt like I was at my Tia’s house, but with more art than I have ever seen in a Mexican household.  

As I toured the home and studio, I couldn’t help but feel as though all the brown people that Roman has created, through paintings or sculptures, are also in whatever room Roman is in.