MIAMI, FLA.- Francia Escobar Field from Cartagena and the Colombian-American artist, Mateo Blanco, two prominent cultural figures who have received international recognition, have been in the news recently.

Mateo Blanco, is an outstanding conceptual artist known for creating vivid portraits with unusual materials that have captured people’s imagination. His portrait of Jennifer Lawrence, for example, was made with 10,000 peanuts, and he has created a flag of the United States using pieces of cloth. Much of his work is inspired by typography and explores word art. His work can be found in private collections and museums worldover–from Capetown to Paris and beyond. And now, his work, "Colombia By Mateo Blanco", is part of a renowned private collection in Bogota.

Francia Escobar has now selected some of his pieces for her private collection. Francia’s artistic acumen and eye for spotting new talent, developed over many years of curating and putting together an important personal collection, positions Mateo Blanco as a promising emerging talent. His inclusion in her collection, which is considered one of the most important in Colombia, is a testament to her belief in his potential and trajectory.

Francia has a long history of promoting young artists and is the founder of a scholarship program called the "Francia Scholarship" an initiative born from an informal meeting space known as Arte es Colombia that was organized to support and bring together young talent.

Francia Escobar has received both national and international awards in recognition of her valuable work and unstinting efforts in promoting the arts and education in Colombia. Francia is the recipient of many honours: She received the UN Women Together Award in New York at the Hall of the General Assembly of the United Nations and the Ojo de Plata Award in Merida, Mexico. In Colombia she has received three important distinctions: the Epifanio Garay Medal from the Cartagena School of Fine Arts Bolivarian Art Museum, the Santa Marta Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Award, and the Museum of Modern Art of Bogota Award. Francia Escobar is honoured by a plaque on the wall of The Museum of Modern Art in Cartagena that celebrates her generosity and patronage.