(Cuban-American, 1908-2005)

Pee-Roo-Lee Man and Polka Dots, double sided, Pee-Roo-Lee-Man recto and completed, Polka Dots verso and unfinished, 1974, signed and titled lower right recto "The Pee-Roolee Man/Mario Sanchez", carved and polychrome painted wood-relief plaque, 27-3/4 x 11-1/4; integral plywood frame, 28-3/4 x 12-1/4 x 1-1/4 in. 

Provenance: The Gallery on Greene, Key West, Florida, 2013; Private Florida Collection

Note:Mario Sanchez was a Cuban-American folk artist from the Key West cigar-making neighborhood known as "Gato's Village". Self-taught, Sanchez began working artistically in 1930 on media like paper bags and cedar wood boards. His sketches and intaglio works project a unique vision that is playful, nostalgic and rooted to the experience of community, especially in Key West and Tampa, Florida.

Sanchez received one-man exhibitions in major museums including New York’s American Folk Art Museum, The Museum of the City of New York, Bacardi Museum, and Cuba’s National Museum of Fine Art. He has work in the collections of the Smithsonian, The Whitney, and The American Folk Art Museums as well as many private collections in Florida and across the country.

The Pee-Roo-Lee-Man is a common character found in Mario's landscapes. "Pee-Roo-Lee" stands for the Spanish term pirulí, similar to 'lollipop' in English. Pirulí is a Cuban homemade candy commonly sold by vendors on the street. The Pee-Roo-Lee-Man, or Piruliero is has widely become a nostalgic symbol for simple pleasures.