"I have always been very interested in art. As a student I earned a little extra money by painting portraits and selling them. Later I visited many museums and exhibitions and read biographies of all the great artists.

However I was no art collector.

In 2006 my wife and I spent two weeks in Cuba. On the day of our departure we once again strolled through the streets of Varaderos.

I stopped in front of a gallery. In the window i saw a picture that fascinated me immediately. "La florera". The colors, the shapes, the infinite emotions that were transported in this picture ... I was thrilled and had to have this picture. Unfortunately the gallery was closed and would not open before our departure to Germany. So there was no chance to get hold of this picture. Nevertheless, I photographed it through the shop window. As a reminder I thought!

Back in Germany i couldn’t get the picture out of my head. I caught myself as I repeatedly grabbed the camera and looked at it. This picture just had to hang on my wall.

After more than 30 years i decided to bring out my brushes and colors again. I had not held a brush since my student days, but I was determined to paint this picture.

I painted for over a week. I was satisfied. It was good, came very close to the original. But every time I saw it, I knew it was not IT.

One year later, my wife and I traveled to Cuba again. Of course I wanted to visit the gallery where I had seen "La florera" one year before.

I really wanted to know more about the picture and the artist who created it. I was excited and nervous when we visited the gallery on the third day of our stay. I was hoping for the picture to still be there and that I could get some information about the artist.

Much to my regret the picture was already sold and the gallerist hardly spoke any English. So an exchange about the artist was impossible.

I was disappointed because "La florera" was a bit of an important destination for me on this trip.

That same evening, my wife and I met an elderly Cuban lady while eating. We started talking. She told us about Cuba and her life, we told her about our travel experiences and our life in Germany. At the end of the evening I also told her about the picture that had occupied me for over a year. I told her that it was already sold and unfortunately I could not figure out what the artist's name was.

The elderly Cuban lady was so touched by my passion that she wanted to help me. She promised to find out who the artist was. So I gave her the name of the gallery, the title of the picture and my e-mail address.

I didn’t have much hope for that, but I did not want to leave a stone unturned.

Back in Germany two weeks later, my heart almost stopped when I found an e-mail from Cuba in my mailbox. The lady really went to the gallery to show the gallerist the picture I had taken through the shop window. She told him about my wife and me and about my boundless enthusiasm for the picture and the artist. The gallerist gave her the name and address of the artist. His name was Juan Manuel Vazquez Iglesias.

I did not speak a word of Spanish, but I had to let Vazquez know how impressed I was with his picture.

Everybody thought I was crazy when I decided to write to Vazquez and ask him to paint the picture for me again. Everybody thought I was crazy when I was writing on a letter for days, expressing my passion and enthusiasm for this picture. Everybody thought I was crazy when I said that I was sure that someday I would be the owner of the image "La florera".

... I didn’t have high hopes for him to respond.

Today, 12 years later, Vazquez and I call ourselves brothers. We write each other every day and call several times a month. My Spanish is almost perfect by now. Every year I fly to Cuba and visit my brother Vazquez. Often we sit in his studio for nights, painting together.

Meanwhile, I own more than 180 of his pictures. So I can proudly say that I have the world's largest Vazquez collection. My copy of the picture "La florera" is still hanging in my study. The original is hanging on my living room wall. With a personal dedication. It still is his best work. The deep bond and friendship with Vazquez is and remains the most valuable work of art for me.

An excerpt from Marek's Vazquez collection: