Beloved San Antonio artist gets first career survey seven years after his death

Worn out brooms, wilted flower arrangements, battered piñatas, remnants of a meal. Even literal garbage stuffed in plastic bag. Artist Chuck Ramirez used a camera lens to transform the detritus of everyday life into elegant reflections on mortality and the ephemeral nature of existence. Although Ramirez’s career was relatively brief, spanning 15 years, these throwaway items have had remarkable staying power. Almost seven years after his death at 48 following a bicycle accident, Ramirez is getting his first career survey at the McNay Art Museum. “Chuck Ramirez: All This and Heaven Too,” an exhibit of more than 100 objects, including the artist’s signature images of single items photographed against a pristine white background, opens today. “Chuck in Context,” a companion exhibition featuring never-before-exhibited works, opens Friday at Ruiz-Healy Art.