250px, ''Untitled'' (1961), sculpture by Auguste Cardenas in the area above the Roman quarry in Sankt Margarethen im Burgenland near Lake Neusiedl.">Lake_Neusiedl.html" ;"title="Sankt Margarethen im Burgenland near Lake Neusiedl">Sankt Margarethen im Burgenland near Lake Neusiedl. Agustín Cárdenas Alfonso (April 10, 1927,

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

, Cuba – February 9, 2001, Havana, Cuba) was a Cuban sculptor who was active in the

Surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

movement in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. His sculpture was influenced by Brâncuși,

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi-abstract art, abstract monumental Bronze sculpture, bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. Moore ...

, and

Jean Arp Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (; ; 16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist. Early life Arp was born Hans Peter Wilhelm Ar ...

. Poet

André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

said of his artistic hand that it was "efficient as a dragonfly."

Biography

Cárdenas was a descendant of slaves from

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

and the Congo, and was born in

, 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 The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana) in Havana, Cuba is a museum of fine arts that exhibits Cuban art collections from the colonial times up to contemporary generations. History It was founded o ...

. He settled in

in 1955 and in 1957 joined the

movement there. His work incorporated aspects of his African heritage and of Dogon

totems A totem (from or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While the word ''totem'' itself is an ...

. In 1987, his work was in the Corea Gallery,

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. In 1993, his work was exhibited in ''"Agustín Cárdenas"'' in the

and in 2002, Cárdenas's work was presented in "Desires and Grace" at the Haim Chanin Fine Arts Gallery in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Cárdenas also took part in many group exhibitions such as the ''IV Exposición Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado'' at the Centro Asturiano in Havana in 1950 and the ''"Exposition Internationale du Surréalisme Eros"'' at the Galerie Daniel Cordier in

in 1960. He participated in the ''II Bienal Internacional de la Pequeña Escultura'' in 1973 in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

and the exhibition of Abstract Art ''"Tono a Tono"'' in the Salón de la Solidaridadin the Hotel Habana Libre in Havana in 2000. 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 The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

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 The Fonds national d'art contemporain (FNAC; National Foundation for Contemporary Art) is a public collection of contemporary art in France. It does not hold exhibitions but acquires and stores works of art that it loans to Museum, museums, cultura ...

and Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air in

; the Musée d’Art et d’Industrie at

Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

; the

Hakone Open-Air Museum The Hakone Open-Air Museum (箱根彫刻の森美術館, ''Hakone Choukoku no Mori Bijutsukan''), opened in 1969, is Japan's first open-air museum. It is located in Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture. Hosting over 1,000 piece ...

Hakone is a List of towns in Japan, town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 10,965, and total area of . Hakone is a notable spa town and a popular tourist destination due to its many onsen, hot springs being within view of ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

; the Musée d’Art Contemporain, Argel,

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

; Museo de Bellas Artes in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, Kendall Art Center, Miami, Florida, and in the

in Havana, Cuba.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cardenas, Agustin 1927 births 2001 deaths 20th-century Cuban sculptors Cuban male sculptors 20th-century Cuban male artists Cuban contemporary artists Cuban modern sculptors

Biography

References

Further reading

External links