Agustín Cárdenas
Encyclopedia
Agustín Cárdenas Alfonso (April 10, 1927, Matanzas
, Cuba
– February 9, 2001, Havana
, Cuba) was a Cuba
n sculptor who was active in the Surrealist
movement in Paris
. His sculpture was influenced by Brancusi, Henry Moore
, and Jean Arp
. Poet André Breton
said of his artistic hand that it was "efficient as a dragonfly."
and the Congo
, and was born in Matanzas
, a major port in the sugar industry. In Cuba, Cárdenas studied under Juan José Sicre
, and from 1943 to 1949 at Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes “San Alejandro” in Havana. He was member of Asociación de Grabadores de Cuba (AGC) from 1951 to 1955, and of the creative group Los Once from 1953 to 1955. Cárdenas' work was exhibited several times in 1952 "Pintura Ávila Escultura Cárdenas" at Palacio de los Trabajadores in Havana, and in 1955 he exhibited a selection of his pieces in "Agustín Cárdenas: 20 esculturas" at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
.
He settled in Paris
in 1955 and in 1957 integrated himself in the Surrealist
movement there. His work incorporated aspects of his African heritage and of Dogon
totems.
In 1987, his work in was in the Corea Gallery, Seoul
, South Korea
. In 1993, his work was exhibited in "Agustín Cárdenas" in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
and in 2002, Cárdenas work was presented in "Desires and Grace" at the Haim Chanin Fine Arts Gallery in New York City
.
Cárdenas also took part in many collective exhibitions such as the IV Exposición Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado at the Centro Asturiano in Havana, Cuba in 1950. Ten years later in 1960 at the "Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme Eros" at the Galerie Daniel Cordier in Paris
, France
. He participated in the II Bienal Internacional de la Pequeña Escultura in 1973 in Budapest
, Hungary
and in 2000, of the exhibition of Abstract Art "Tono a Tono" in the Salón de la Solidaridadin the Hotel Habana Libre
in Havana, Cuba.
Cárdenas has been awarded with several distinctions during his life, including Segundo Premio VI Salón Nacional de Pintura y Escultura, Salones del Capitolio Nacional, Havana, by the Cuban government (1953) and the Silver Medal XXXVII, Salón de Bellas Artes, Círculo de Bellas Artes, Havana (1955). In 1976, he was awarded with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
in France and the Fujisankey Biennal Prize at the Hakone Open Air Museum, Fujisankey, Japan. Also in 1995 he received Premio Nacional de Artes Plásticas by the Cuban Ministry of Culture.
His works can be found in many permanent collections around the world, including the Centre National des Arts du Cirque, Fonds National d’Art Contemporain and Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air
in Paris
; the Musée d’Art et d’Industrie at Saint-Étienne
, France
; the Hakone Open Air Museum, Hakone, Japan
; the Musée d’Art Contemporain, Argel
, Algeria
; Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas
, Venezuela
, and in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
in Havana, Cuba.
Matanzas
Matanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. It is famed for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore.It is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas , east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero.Matanzas is called the...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
– February 9, 2001, Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba) was a Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n sculptor who was active in the Surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
movement in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. His sculpture was influenced by Brancusi, Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
, and Jean Arp
Jean Arp
Jean Arp / Hans Arp was a German-French, or Alsatian, sculptor, painter, poet and abstract artist in other media such as torn and pasted paper....
. Poet André Breton
André Breton
André Breton was a French writer and poet. He is known best as the founder of Surrealism. His writings include the first Surrealist Manifesto of 1924, in which he defined surrealism as "pure psychic automatism"....
said of his artistic hand that it was "efficient as a dragonfly."
Biography
Cárdenas was a descendant of slaves from SenegalSenegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
and the Congo
Kingdom of Kongo
The Kingdom of Kongo was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, the Republic of the Congo, and the western portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, and was born in Matanzas
Matanzas
Matanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. It is famed for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore.It is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas , east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero.Matanzas is called the...
, a major port in the sugar industry. In Cuba, Cárdenas studied under Juan José Sicre
Juan José Sicre
Juan José Sicre was one of the greatest Cuban sculptors. His most famous sculpture is of José Martí y Pérez in the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana....
, and from 1943 to 1949 at Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes “San Alejandro” in Havana. He was member of Asociación de Grabadores de Cuba (AGC) from 1951 to 1955, and of the creative group Los Once from 1953 to 1955. Cárdenas' work was exhibited several times in 1952 "Pintura Ávila Escultura Cárdenas" at Palacio de los Trabajadores in Havana, and in 1955 he exhibited a selection of his pieces in "Agustín Cárdenas: 20 esculturas" at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana in Havana, Cuba is a museum of Fine Arts that exhibits Cuban art collections from the colonial times up to contemporary generations. It was founded on February 23, 1913 due to the efforts of its first director, Emilio Heredia, a well-known architect...
.
He settled in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1955 and in 1957 integrated himself in the Surrealist
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
movement there. His work incorporated aspects of his African heritage and of Dogon
Dogon people
The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of Mali, south of the Niger bend near the city of Bandiagara in the Mopti region. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000 The Dogon are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture and...
totems.
In 1987, his work in was in the Corea Gallery, Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. In 1993, his work was exhibited in "Agustín Cárdenas" in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana in Havana, Cuba is a museum of Fine Arts that exhibits Cuban art collections from the colonial times up to contemporary generations. It was founded on February 23, 1913 due to the efforts of its first director, Emilio Heredia, a well-known architect...
and in 2002, Cárdenas work was presented in "Desires and Grace" at the Haim Chanin Fine Arts Gallery in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Cárdenas also took part in many collective exhibitions such as the IV Exposición Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado at the Centro Asturiano in Havana, Cuba in 1950. Ten years later in 1960 at the "Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme Eros" at the Galerie Daniel Cordier in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He participated in the II Bienal Internacional de la Pequeña Escultura in 1973 in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and in 2000, of the exhibition of Abstract Art "Tono a Tono" in the Salón de la Solidaridadin the Hotel Habana Libre
Hotel Habana Libre
Hotel Tryp Habana Libre is one of the larger hotels in Cuba, situated in Vedado, Havana. The hotel has 569 rooms in a 25 floor tower at Calle 23 and Calle L.-History:...
in Havana, Cuba.
Cárdenas has been awarded with several distinctions during his life, including Segundo Premio VI Salón Nacional de Pintura y Escultura, Salones del Capitolio Nacional, Havana, by the Cuban government (1953) and the Silver Medal XXXVII, Salón de Bellas Artes, Círculo de Bellas Artes, Havana (1955). In 1976, he was awarded with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
in France and the Fujisankey Biennal Prize at the Hakone Open Air Museum, Fujisankey, Japan. Also in 1995 he received Premio Nacional de Artes Plásticas by the Cuban Ministry of Culture.
His works can be found in many permanent collections around the world, including the Centre National des Arts du Cirque, Fonds National d’Art Contemporain and Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air
Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air
The Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air is a collection of outdoor sculpture located on the banks of the Seine in the 5th arrondissement, Paris, France. The museum opens free of charge....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; the Musée d’Art et d’Industrie at Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; the Hakone Open Air Museum, Hakone, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
; the Musée d’Art Contemporain, Argel
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
; Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and in the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana in Havana, Cuba is a museum of Fine Arts that exhibits Cuban art collections from the colonial times up to contemporary generations. It was founded on February 23, 1913 due to the efforts of its first director, Emilio Heredia, a well-known architect...
in Havana, Cuba.