Captivating & Comfortable

Retirees indulge Spanish Colonial obsession

His Mexican art collection consists of a hundreds of pieces ranging from paintings to folk art to Mexican pottery. Much of it can be seen throughout his home.

Davis and his wife Sandy moved into their Paradise Valley home in 1987. His collection includes Spanish Colonial furniture pieces, which he believes was a natural fit to their pueblo-style home.

“I’m captivated by the Colonial art period,” Davis says. “The fact that there was a Mexican university before the U.S. was ever even settled tells us a lot about the Colonial period in Mexico.”

Davis is active in an auxiliary group that supports the Phoenix Art Museum, the Latin American Arts Alliance. Participating in LAAA programs and activities offers Davis and others opportunities to learn more about their favorite subject.

“After my first trip to Mexico in the late ‘80s, I fell in love with the country,” says Davis. “Since then, collecting Mexican art has become my passion.”
Davis has gradually collected hundreds of pieces over the last 20 years.

Last month Davis traveled to Guadalajara to view various collections, while his wife journeyed to Italy to attend cooking school. Davis purchased a 40-inch-tall 18th-century statue of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, carved in the santos tradition -- and like a true collector, already has the perfect spot at home picked out.