Aldo Castillo is a man of art. He studies it. He creates it. He buys and sells it. He relaxes with it. And, he has a lot to say about it, including “it is one of the most amazing things humans have.” As a little boy growing up in Nicaragua, a country once home to pre-Columbian civilizations, he was surrounded by powerful and sophisticated art. Although he thought artists were boring, he took great interest in archaeology and art history.
Castillo studied architecture and graphic design in Guatemala City. After graduating from Rafael Landívar University, he was hired to design exhibitions to attract young people to the Popol Vuh Museum (also in Guatemala City) that specializes in Mayan art. He spent four years in this position before moving to the United States, where he received a scholarship to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a highly respected institution within the art and design world.
It was not his first time in the northern country. As the eldest of eight children, Castillo describes a childhood where education was stressed. Exploring opportunities and interests—specifically cultural experiences—was always encouraged. When 14 years old, Castillo spent six months as an exchange student in Wisconsin. He still fondly refers to his hosts as his “American family” and recalls how much they shared with him in a short time.
Castillo lived in Chicago for 27 years. In 1993, he founded Aldo Castillo Gallery, specializing in international contemporary art. In addition to his gallery experience, he has organized global art fairs and has attended more than 350 art exhibitions. Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards and honors.
Recognizing Southwest Florida as a place of growing global migration, Castillo brought his eponymous gallery to the Miromar Design Center in Estero in 2011. In 2020, encouraged by David Hoffmann, a Naples-based entrepreneur and chairman of Hoffmann Family of Companies, Castillo opened a second location on Fifth Avenue South. It was a move he was comfortable making after realizing the Naples community was becoming more accepting of contemporary art.
Because Castillo believes the planet is his country and finds everywhere he visits interesting, he remarks: “I never wanted to settle; I always rented.” When he found rents unsustainable in Southwest Florida, however, he decided it was time to make a purchase. On the advice of fellow local art gallery owners and friends, Olga and Leeza Arkhangelskaya of East West Fine Art, he purchased a condo at Naples Bath and Tennis Club.
The newly renovated, 1,200-square-foot space was the perfect blank canvas for the eclectic collection of creative works he had been gifted over the years. Castillo was able to move right in and arrange his many pieces in the small home to their best advantage. Almost every wall or corner now showcases art. “I have to be careful because I am around art all day,” explains Castillo. “When I come home, I don’t want it to be about work; I don’t want my space too busy.”
A self-described anxious person, Castillo notes that spending time with art invites and reminds him to unwind. “The art I surround myself with at home helps me relax,” he says. As he lives alone, it also keeps him company. He believes art moves emotions within our bodies and notes his art helps him “feel positive.”
For Castillo, art reflects society. “Historically, art was made as offerings to gods; it recorded negative events—like wars—and people of power,” says Castillo. Today, Castillo finds art is more positive and fun, while exposing us to issues we all need to think about.
Art has taken Castillo around the world and has always been a way for him to connect with others. To spend more time working with his many international connections and clients, he will soon close his gallery’s Miromar Design Center location.
At the end of the day, Castillo says all he wants to do is “come home and feel good about life.” It is his personal collection of art—pieces he sees every day—that helps calm his soul and keep him company.
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