MÍRAME presents Gilberto Ramírez Chaves' New Hyperrealist Costa Rican Landscape Paintings Ahead of a Group Exhibition at San José's Museo Calderón Guardia.

Following last week’s feature on emerging artist Isaac Loria and his interpretations of the Costa Rican landscape, MÍRAME Fine Art continues its focus on the genre. This week, we turn to the new hyperrealist Costa Rican landscape paintings by Costa Rican artist Gilberto Ramírez Chaves.

Gilberto will present these paintings at the Museo Calderón Guardia in San José, in an exhibition opening 15 May 2025. He will be showing alongside fellow Costa Rican artists Sofia Ruiz, Emilia Cantor, Mario Rojas Kolomiets and Sylvia Laks.

These latest paintings position Gilberto’s status as a leading figure in contemporary Latin American realism, offering an evocative vision of the Costa Rica's celebrated environment.

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Hyperrealist Costa Rican Landscape Painting

Known for his precise rendering of nature, Gilberto (b. 1981, San José) has built a career on a disciplined visual language that moves between hyperrealism and a more reflective, spiritual dimension. Trained at the Universidad de Costa Rica, he has exhibited widely in national institutions such as the Museo de Arte Costarricense and is represented by MÍRAME Fine Art.

Known for his meticulous technique and psychological stillness, Gilberto’s practice engages with visual realism as well as the intangible aspects of landscape — memory, spirituality, and belonging.

Gilberto Ramírez Chaves, Oil on canvas

The new paintings set to feature at the Museo Calderón Guardia show a refinement of his long-standing concerns. One portrays an ancient tree emerging from dense undergrowth, a bird perched in careful equilibrium among its branches. We are asked to follow a winding path that recedes into misty hills, while the scene is sharpened by the clear morning light. The surface detail is rendered with precision, and the result is not simply photographic imitation, but an invitation to sustained contemplation.

Spiritual Observations

Gilberto Ramírez Chaves, Oil on canvas

Gilberto portrays nature in a mysterious way that holds sacred resonance, a theme he explores through a combination of exacting surface detail and compositional stillness.

In these recent paintings, every detail appears sharpened; every leaf, every shaft of light is painted with a clarity that becomes a form of meditation. The presence of fauna, from a striking royal flycatcher to glimpses of life along the forest floor, signals a broader ecological awareness, while the monumental trees suggest endurance and quiet strength.

They are a continuation of his engagement with the landscapes of his homeland, encouraging a slow, careful viewing while allowing the world to reveal itself from the surface of the canvas.

A Reappraisal of Painting

In recent years, painting has been overshadowed by conceptual, digital and installation practices, however recently, as Art Basel discusses on their social channels, the medium is returning to prominence among collectors and curators. Hyperrealism, previously regarded by some as a purely technical exercise, is being seen as engaging with cultural, emotional and political subjects.

In this context, Gilberto’s landscapes present a contemporary response to the renewed interest in skill-based painting. His work combines technical precision with a clear emotional register, reflecting a belief that realism can address complexity without resorting to spectacle. His paintings focus on the endurance of natural forms and the ongoing relationship between people and their environment at a time of significant change.

Museo Calderón Guardia Presentation

Gilberto will be part of a multi-artist presentation at the Museo Calderón Guardia next month. His works will be shown alongside those by Sofia Ruiz, Emilia Cantor, Mario Rojas Kolomiets and Sylvia Laks, presenting an intriguing dialogue between landscape and figurative styles of painting.

Gilberto Ramirez-Chaves, Oil on canvas

Housed in the former residence of President Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, the museum is a prominent cultural institution in San José. Dedicated to preserving Costa Rica's social and political history, it is a vital venue for engaging with the country's top contemporary artists. 

As the artists prepare for the opening at Museo Calderón Guardia, we look forward to presenting these new works to collectors, curators, and the wider public. Gilberto continues to show how contemporary realism, and particularly his striking hyperrealist Costa Rican landscape paintings, can be relevant in today's global art scene.

For more information on Gilberto's practice or to inquire about any artwork, please contact Belinda Seppings at MÍRAME Fine Art: [email protected]