El Dorado Gallery opens its doors at the Hill Country Galleria in the new year

Sarah Asch, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read

Bobby John and Andres Gonzalez recently launched their first gallery outside of Mexico in Bee Cave. The El Dorado Gallery, which opened its doors Dec. 31, showcases international artists, offering modern paintings, sculptures and home decor pieces.

Gonzalez's family opened the first El Dorado Gallery in 1982 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and over the years the gallery’s curated selection has gone on to be featured in homes, restaurants and hotels.

Bobby John, left, and Andres Gonzalez recently launched their first gallery outside of Mexico in Bee Cave.
Bobby John, left, and Andres Gonzalez recently launched their first gallery outside of Mexico in Bee Cave.

Gonzalez said he is excited for their gallery to contribute to the vibrant Austin-area art scene, and to bring their connections with artists in Mexico and beyond to an Austin customer base. He said the intention is to focus on artists from Mexico during their first season in Bee Cave and then includeart from more countries in the future.

More: Sculpture artist Karl Lagasse opens gallery at the Hill Country Galleria in Bee Cave

“We have wonderful artists right now from Mexico,” he said. “We have a line of home decor pieces, which also are unique. (The gallery) is a space for everybody — for art lovers, or people who really want to enhance their homes.”

El Dorado joins the growing arts scene at the Galleria, which has welcomed galleries like Karl Lagasse, ContraCommon and Flip'N Art. The Galleria has also commissioned mural works by local artists, hosted art walks and partnered with The Hive on local arts events like BuzzFest, over the past few years.

The El Dorado Gallery, which opened its doors Dec. 31 showcases international artists, offering modern paintings, sculptures and home decor pieces.
The El Dorado Gallery, which opened its doors Dec. 31 showcases international artists, offering modern paintings, sculptures and home decor pieces.

The gallery has both paintings and sculptures on offer. John said the gallery faced some COVID-19 delays and other difficulties getting started, but that the reception from the local community has been positive.

“We are very happy. The response we've been getting from the people has been amazing,” John said. “Within the first two hours that we opened, we started selling so that was amazing for us. ... We’re excited about bringing something new and different to the Austin art scene.”

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the ownership of the original El Dorado Gallery.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: El Dorado Gallery opens its doors at the Hill Country Galleria