There was singing, there was food and there was partying at Project Artaud on Saturday. The mood at the memorial for Pico Sanchez, artist and Mission icon, was anything but somber.
“Lets party! That is what my father would have done,” said Hiyyam Sanchez, the eldest of Sanchez’s two sons. He was wearing a gray suit and holding back tears.
His brother Solomon, also an artist, said that even though he and his father had different aesthetics when it came to art, his father was always an inspiration to him.
The artist died unexpectedly in his sleep early Monday morning.
“This changed me. I was more ephemeral and now I feel like I need to produce more art just like he did,” said Sanchez’s youngest son.
Sanchez, 63, was an inspiration not only to his family but also to other artists. He was the president of Artaud Gallery, a live/work space for artists.
“He gave me the permission to be my natural self and celebrate life,” said Phil Deal, who has known and lived with Sanchez for 35 years now.
And celebrate life as Pico would is exactly what they did at the memorial. A potluck lunch was prepared with all of Sanchez’s favorite foods, including tamales.
Sanchez’s housemates took the stage one after the other to share their experiences with the artist.
“He was an ambassador of Mexico to the Mission District,” said Jonah Roll, a friend of 12 years.
A mariachi band came on and brought Mexico to the Mission as Pico did through his work.
“This is a place that was fitting to have this memorial. This was his home,” Solomon Sanchez said.
“From the Art Institute hipster to a chola, everyone would visit my father while he was painting,” said Hiyyam Sanchez of the murals his father created all over the Mission.
I´m so pround of my brother. I would like to stay there, close to Hayyim and Solomon. I miss Pico so much