From February 12th to March 27th, 2016, the Museum of Fine Arts at Florida State University exhibited Cuban Art in the Twentieth Century: Cultural Identity and the International Avant Garde.
FIU Art + Art History Professor Emeritus of Art History Dr. Juan A. Martínez was an advisor for the exhibition. He also wrote one of the essays in the show’s catalog and gave a lecture on the February 22nd opening about the exhibition’s theme and artists.
The exhibition included works by Cuban artists from the Colonial Period, Early Republic Period, Later Modern Period, and the Contemporary Period. Visitors had a glimpse inside Cuba’s culture and the modern art that emerged, starting in 1927 Havana and developing over the next 20 years. Some of the leaders in the “First Generation” of artists, such as Victor Manuel Garcia, Amelia Peláez, Carlos Enriquez, and others brought their visions to life in a time when the country was in political disorder and economic depression. According to On View Magazine, the exhibit “present[ed] exciting, colorful works by Cuban modernist painters who participated in a global movement in the arts, characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional art styles.” (Source: FSU MoFA)
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