MA is the product of the partners’ passion for art and design, and our commitment to social and environmental awareness. Monte Azul is conceived as a center for art and design where artists can pursue their craft, and where collectors could better understand the artists’ work and process.

The Monte Azul Preserve, a serene 125 acres in the Talamanca river valley of Southern Costa Rica, is a unique environment where invited artists stay and work, and pursue their craft using environmentally friendly techniques. We have witnessed firsthand how the peace and solitude of this place, amid the enormity of life emanating from the surrounding primary rainforest, has led to new directions and experimentation in our resident artists’ work. The magic of the place extends to all guests who come for relaxation and rejuvenation.

Equally important is our desire to change the experience for art collectors as well. We hoped to move away from the impersonal, and sometimes sterile gallery experience, and create a way for collectors to build a greater understanding of the artist’s process and inspirations. We seek to build a center for art where collectors can meet with artists in the studio space, and are able to discuss the artists work in a more casual, social setting. Ultimately, our goal is to facilitate an experience that makes the process of art appreciation, understanding, and collection far more intimate and rewarding.

Central to that process is the curated Monte Azul luxury hotel suites. The stylish accommodations for guests are curated with art from the MA collection and works produced by artists on site through the artist in residence program. It is an opportunity to get acquainted with the work in a more intimate environment, to see the work in various lights and to experience it 'in a home like setting'.

Monte Azul Contemporary Art (MACA) opened in New York City as a venue to show the works from Monte Azul in Costa Rica among works from other artists. Our loft in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park area is a comfortable setting in which to view a selection of MACA’s inventory, while staying true to the informal experience central to the Monte Azul model.

Our clients include seasoned collectors and those who are just starting out on this journey. We work with corporate collections, designers, and architects.

Our handcrafted, hardwood furniture is a natural extension of our project. Having designed and built our Costa Rica artist studios and hotel, furniture design was a natural extension to maintain our quality standards. We rescued rare fallen hardwoods on the Monte Azul preserve, and designed and handcrafted on site all wood furniture for the hotel. Visitors will find that every room at Monte Azul is furnished with unique, hand crafted hardwood furniture, all complemented with the gallery’s collection of fine art.

Carlos Rojas and Rob Harley co-curate and co-direct MACA in Costa Rica and New York, with Randall Langendorfer as Director of Monte Azul Design (MAD).