Oscar B. Cintas
Encyclopedia
Oscar Benjamin Cintas, was a prominent sugar
and railroad magnate
who served as Cuba
’s ambassador
to the United States
from 1932 until 1934.
He was educated in London, and became director of the Cuban Railroad Company’s sugar mills in Punta Alegre, Jatibonico and Jobabo. He was president of Railroad Equipment of Brazil and Argentina, director of the American Car and Foundry and the American Locomotive Sales Corporation, and had business interests in Europe.
As a patron of the arts and with the advice of the legendary Alfred H. Barr Jr., Mr. Cintas assembled a collection of Old Masters and modern paintings that was once considered among the best in Latin America
. In 1940, he lent one of the pieces from the collection, Rembrandt’s Portrait of a Rabbi on a Wide Cap, to the Masterpieces of Art exhibition at the New York World’s Fair.
Mr. Cintas also collected manuscripts, and his acquisitions included the sole first edition of Cervantes
’ Don Quijote, and the fifth and final manuscript of Abraham Lincoln
’s "Gettysburg Address
", once owned by the family of Col. Alexander Bliss, and known as the Bliss copy. Mr. Cintas’ purchase of the manuscript, for $54,000, in 1949, set a record at the time for the sale of a document at a public auction. The manuscript, the only one to which Lincoln added his signature, is exhibited in the Lincoln Room of the White House
.
Before his death in 1957, Mr. Cintas entrusted the administration of his estate, including his art collection, to The Chase Manhattan Bank
, N.A., with Ethan Alyea serving as legal counsel. With the help and encouragement of David Rockefeller
, Mr. Alyea named a blue ribbon board of trustees to carry out Mr. Cintas’ wishes for a foundation. Early members of the board included Theodore Rousseau, curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
; Porter A. McCray, director of the International Program at New York’s Museum of Modern Art
, and A. Hyatt Mayor
, curator of prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The foundation’s original name, the Cuban Art Foundation, was changed in 1962 to honor its founder.
In addition to the fellowships, the Cintas foundation oversees two major art collections in the United States and sponsors exhibitions curated from these collections. The Cintas Fellows collection is composed of works donated by the fellows in appreciation of the Cintas fellowship. It has grown to be the largest body of Cuban art outside of Cuba and continues to grow regularly.
The CINTAS Foundation awards fellowships annually to creative artists of Cuban lineage who are currently residing outside of Cuba.
The Cintas Foundation was established with funds from the estate of the late Oscar B. Cintas, a former Cuban ambassador to the United States and a prominent industrialist and patron of the arts. Cintas Fellowships acknowledge demonstrated creative accomplishments and encourage the development of creative artists in architecture, literature, music composition, and the visual arts. Past recipients include Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist Oscar Hijuelos, playwright Maria Irene Fornes, painter Carlos Alfonzo, photographer Andres Serrano, architect Andres Martin Duany, sculptor Maria Elena Gonzales, and composer Orlando Garcia.
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
and railroad magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
who served as 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...
’s ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1932 until 1934.
He was educated in London, and became director of the Cuban Railroad Company’s sugar mills in Punta Alegre, Jatibonico and Jobabo. He was president of Railroad Equipment of Brazil and Argentina, director of the American Car and Foundry and the American Locomotive Sales Corporation, and had business interests in Europe.
As a patron of the arts and with the advice of the legendary Alfred H. Barr Jr., Mr. Cintas assembled a collection of Old Masters and modern paintings that was once considered among the best in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. In 1940, he lent one of the pieces from the collection, Rembrandt’s Portrait of a Rabbi on a Wide Cap, to the Masterpieces of Art exhibition at the New York World’s Fair.
Mr. Cintas also collected manuscripts, and his acquisitions included the sole first edition of Cervantes
Cervantes
-People:*Alfonso J. Cervantes , mayor of St. Louis, Missouri*Francisco Cervantes de Salazar, 16th-century man of letters*Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban composer*Jorge Cervantes, a world-renowned expert on indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse cannabis cultivation...
’ Don Quijote, and the fifth and final manuscript of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
’s "Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and is one of the most well-known speeches in United States history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery...
", once owned by the family of Col. Alexander Bliss, and known as the Bliss copy. Mr. Cintas’ purchase of the manuscript, for $54,000, in 1949, set a record at the time for the sale of a document at a public auction. The manuscript, the only one to which Lincoln added his signature, is exhibited in the Lincoln Room of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
Before his death in 1957, Mr. Cintas entrusted the administration of his estate, including his art collection, to The Chase Manhattan Bank
Chase Manhattan Bank
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is a national bank that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The bank was known as Chase Manhattan Bank until it merged with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 2000...
, N.A., with Ethan Alyea serving as legal counsel. With the help and encouragement of David Rockefeller
David Rockefeller
David Rockefeller, Sr. is the current patriarch of the Rockefeller family. He is the youngest and only surviving child of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, and the only surviving grandchild of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil. His five siblings were...
, Mr. Alyea named a blue ribbon board of trustees to carry out Mr. Cintas’ wishes for a foundation. Early members of the board included Theodore Rousseau, curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
; Porter A. McCray, director of the International Program at New York’s Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, and A. Hyatt Mayor
A. Hyatt Mayor
A. Hyatt Mayor was an American art historian and curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a leading figure in the study of prints, both old master prints and popular prints....
, curator of prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The foundation’s original name, the Cuban Art Foundation, was changed in 1962 to honor its founder.
Legacy
The legacy of Oscar B. Cintas has fostered the development of Cuban artists outside of Cuba for the last 41 years, promoting the professional development of these artists and the continuity of Cuban traditions in art. The foresight of Oscar Cintas has resulted in more than 300 fellowships and grants to creative writers, architects, composers, visual artists and filmmakers, many of whom have later achieved national and international renown. The roster of Cintas fellows is a testament to the talent and creativity of the Cubans and their direct descendants who have lived outside the island since 1959. The Cintas Foundation is the oldest entity in the United States dedicated to the support of artists of the Cuban diaspora.In addition to the fellowships, the Cintas foundation oversees two major art collections in the United States and sponsors exhibitions curated from these collections. The Cintas Fellows collection is composed of works donated by the fellows in appreciation of the Cintas fellowship. It has grown to be the largest body of Cuban art outside of Cuba and continues to grow regularly.
The CINTAS Foundation awards fellowships annually to creative artists of Cuban lineage who are currently residing outside of Cuba.
The Cintas Foundation was established with funds from the estate of the late Oscar B. Cintas, a former Cuban ambassador to the United States and a prominent industrialist and patron of the arts. Cintas Fellowships acknowledge demonstrated creative accomplishments and encourage the development of creative artists in architecture, literature, music composition, and the visual arts. Past recipients include Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist Oscar Hijuelos, playwright Maria Irene Fornes, painter Carlos Alfonzo, photographer Andres Serrano, architect Andres Martin Duany, sculptor Maria Elena Gonzales, and composer Orlando Garcia.
External links
- http://www.cintasfoundation.org/