Major Exhibition of Cuban Art at MoFA Curated by Art History Doctoral Candidate Fernandez
The FSU Museum of Fine Arts takes great pride in hosting a major exhibition of works by Cuban artists selected by guest curator Segundo Fernandez, attorney, art collector and current doctoral candidate in art history at FSU. Proceeding from works of historical artists to significant artists of today, the exhibition, Cuban Art in the 20th Century: Cultural Identity and the International Avant Garde, provides a unique cultural experience celebrating Cuban landscape, history, mythos and a rich and varied aesthetic that is as individual as each artist. Over one hundred works, the vast majority from private collections in Florida, have been organized and assembled through the generosity of Director Ramon Cernuda and his staff at Cernuda Arte for exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts.
Fernandez proposed the exhibition two years ago and worked with art historians Juan Martínez (of Florida International University) and Paul Niell (of FSU), MoFA Director Allys Palladino-Craig, and collectors across Florida to bring together a project that is close to his heart as a native of Cuba with a lifelong passion for art and the study of art history. The exhibition, featured in ArtDaily.org, is believed to be the largest art historical survey of Cuban art shown in the United States since the Museum of Modern Art in New York City showcased the work of about a dozen Cuban painters in 1944. The opening attendance on Friday, February 12 exceeded previous records at the Museum of Fine Arts, with over 1,000 visitors for the evening event.
Several public events were planned in association with the exhibition. Professor Juan Martínez, who received his doctorate at FSU and is professor emeritus at FIU, presented a public lecture on modern Cuban art on Monday, Feb. 22 in room 249 Fine Arts Building. A colloquium to discuss the global contexts of Cuban art through the intersections of law, cultural patrimony, the international art trade and collecting, with a focus on U.S.–Cuban relations in the 20th century took place on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Panelists included Michael Carrasco and Preston McLane from the FSU Department of Art History, Fernando Tesón from the FSU College of Law, and leading expert on Cuban art Ramón Cernuda, director and CEO of Cernuda Arte in Coral Gables, Fla.
Cuban Art in the 20th Century will be open through March 27, 2016. For more information please visit the exhibition page.
