Jorge M. Perez

My father was a businessman, but my mother was an intellectual. She cared about culture, politics, and philosophy, so I became interested in the protest aspect of Latin American art. ”

I started my career as an urban planner, working for the city, doing what I would call 'do-gooder' things, particularly for low-income neighborhoods. ”

I have made more money than I ever thought anybody should ever make. But who cares if you're worth $500 million or $1 billion? That is not what I want to be remembered for, but for giving something back. ”

I don't think of investing in Cuba after all the hardships of the people there as a profit-making thing for us. I have thought of it as revitalizing the island. ”

I think most people want to be remembered with the causes they feel worthwhile and helped promote. ”

Personally, what I would like the most is to work on a project that would aid the historic rehabilitation of Havana. It's a shame - and it gives me tremendous sadness - to see the precious buildings, to see a city, which could be the most beautiful in Latin America, falling apart and with very little money for renovations. ”

We try to buy from living artists because we love to understand why they are painting or sculpting and get into their minds. ”

The worlds of art, philanthropy, and business are absolutely intertwined. ”

You have to live life to the fullest. I don't want to slow down. I want the giving to be stepped up. So the older I get, the less I will be involved in the business side, the more in the philanthropic side. ”

We've been trying to open the gates of communication between Havana and Miami through art, which is apolitical most of the time: It doesn't have anything to do with politics and is only an exchange of ideas. ”