J. Nunez Gallery Finally Opens In Millburn After Ida Damage

MILLBURN, NJ — Jesús Núñez was all set to open his new art gallery in September — which would be the only art gallery in Millburn — when Hurricane Ida struck the area and devastated the structure.

At the time of the storm, Núñez was in Madrid, Spain — his home city — with his family. When he received photos of his flooded gallery and his basement filled with four feet of water, he decided he was going to enjoy the day with his family instead of wallowing in the loss of his business.

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Now a little more than two months after Ida, J. Núñez Gallery is officially open and ready for business.

Núñez said he feels relieved that the gallery is finally complete, and he is eager to showcase and sell his artwork.

“It’s been a very hard time because I already invested money to open a business, and I have to invest the money again after Ida,” Núñez said. “So now I feel like, okay the hard work is done.”

Everything in the gallery — from the vibrant paintings on the wall to the intricate sculptures and coffee tables — was created by Núñez himself. Primarily a painter, Núñez said art has always been a part of his life since he was young and it always came naturally to him.

But the last 30 years of Núñez's life were actually spent in the kitchen — not the art studio. As a former chef and culinary artist, Núñez has led restaurants in Madrid and New York City. This includes three of his own — Gastroarte, Polenta and Flou.

His last job was working as the corporate chef of an international restaurant, but he was laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While working in a restaurant was not possible in the summer of 2020, Núñez shifted his focus back to his first love — art.

As the weather was getting warmer and people felt comfortable gathering outdoors, Núñez curated his own outdoor art gallery on the front lawn of his home in Millburn. He displayed all the art from his at-home studio and invited people from the community to safely view the work as a way to provide some joy during the lockdown.

“My art is very colorful,” Núñez said. “So then people came and they started buying [the art] and I started having messages from people saying, ‘hey are you going to do it again?”

When Núñez saw the interest people had in his art, he said it sparked the idea to create a gallery in town.

“Something clicked in my mind,” Núñez said. “I told my wife maybe it’s time to give a chance to my art.”

After two months of construction, which consisted of installing new floors and repainting the walls due to the flooding, Núñez hosted gallery openings on Nov. 10 and 13.

Real estate brokers, interior designers, as well as friends and family came to see the art and enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres.

Núñez's art is contemporary and utilizes a lot of bright, vibrant colors. He is also responsible for creating the rainbow-colored #MillburnStrong posters that can be seen in many storefronts around town. The proceeds from selling the posters went toward Hurricane Ida relief.

“I was very sad in that moment, so I decided to do something colorful,” Núñez said about the posters.

“Color is my thing … I think that my art is very playful and it’s easy to understand.”

Through Explore Millburn’s Hurricane Ida Relief Fund, Núñez received a check for his gallery, but he said this only covered a small percentage of the damage. He encourages people to continue to donate by scanning the QR code that is on the MillburnStrong posters.

You can check out more of Núñez's work on his website and Facebook page.

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