Before Centro Ybor, there was Ybor City the cultural epicenter — artists living and working together in a neighborhood that was rough-edged but rich in creative ferment. It was a world that Chuck Gruber cherished. The son of New York art collectors, Gruber arrived in Tampa in 1978 and began to assemble a collection of his own, championing and nurturing artists integral to the Ybor scene. When he died last August at the age of 67, he'd assembled close to 300 works in various media by Ybor and Bay area artists, including pieces by such now-familiar names as David Audet, Josette Urso and Brad Cooper. This week, Cooper's Ybor gallery pays tribute to Gruber — and, perhaps, recaptures an era — with an exhibition and auction from his collection. Chuck Gruber Memorial Exhibit, through Jan. 28, live auction Sat. Jan. 28, 8 p.m. (with remembrance of Chuck at 7 p.m.), 1712 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, auction tickets $10 advance/$15 day of, 813-248-6098.
This article appears in Jan 25-31, 2006.