Clara Ledesma Terrazas (5 March 1924 – 25 May 1999)''Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014''.

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government that administers Social Security (United ...

. was a Dominican-born American artist

Early years and education

Born in

Santiago de los Caballeros Santiago de los Caballeros ("James, son of Zebedee, Saint James of the Knights"), often shortened to Santiago, is the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic and the fourth-largest city in the Caribbean by population. It is the capital of ...

, she attended Escuela Ercilia Pepín and in her teenage years studied art under

Yoryi Morel Jorge Octavio Morel Tavárez (known as Yoryi Morel) was a Dominican Republic, Dominican painter, musician, and teacher born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic; he is remembered as the leading Costumbrismo, costumbrista painter in t ...

at his self-named Academia Yoryi. Ledesma later was one of the first women to enroll in — as well as graduate from — the National School of Fine Arts in

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

, graduating in 1948. There, her professors included

Celeste Woss y Gil Celeste Agustina Woss y Gil (5 May 1891 – 1985) was a Dominican painter, educator, and feminist activist, remembered as one of the most influential Dominican artists from the 20th century. Born in Santo Domingo and daughter to former president ...

and George Hausdorf, while her primary mentor was painting professor Josep Gausachs. Fellow students included

Gilberto Hernández Ortega Gilberto Hernández Ortega (21 December 1923 – 23 October 1979) was an artist from the Dominican Republic. He is considered a leading painter of his generation. Early life and education He was born in Baní, Peravia Province, in 1923 but ...

and Eligio Pichardo. After graduating, she took a position teaching drawing at the same school.

Career, continuing education and personal life

In 1949, Ledesma had her first solo exhibition at the Ateneo of San Pedro de Macorís. In 1951 she opened a combination studio and gallery, where she displayed her works as well as those of other artists. With the proceeds from a very successful solo exhibition in 1952, Ledesma traveled to Europe to further her education. She studied painting in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, and exhibited her works in galleries in Spain. Ledesma also traveled to

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

and

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 ...

to visit important museums. She was particularly influenced by the works of

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , ; ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan Spanish painter, sculptor and Ceramic art, ceramist. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona ...

and

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...

. During her stay in Europe, Ledesma met Bolivian native artist Walter Terrazas, who returned to Santo Domingo with her in 1954. "She studied painting at prestigious academies abroad and then returned to the country where she presented works that she had conducted in Europe under the influence of Miro, Chagall and Paul Klee, among others." In Santo Domingo, she worked closely with other important Dominican artists, including

, Josep Gausachs and

Jaime Colson Jaime Antonio Gumercindo González Colson (13 January 190120 November 1975) was a Dominican modernist painter, writer, and playwright born in Tubagua, Puerto Plata in 1901. He is remembered as one of the most important Dominican artists of the ...

. In 1955, she was named vice director of the National School of Fine Arts. In 1961, Clara Ledesma and her husband moved to

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 ...

, where she opened another gallery. She lived and worked there until her death in 1999.

Exhibitions and artwork

Ledesma had numerous international solo exhibitions, including events in Madrid,

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

and New York, and participated in group exhibitions in Brazil, Spain, Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, Argentina and Puerto Rico. Ledesma's paintings ranged in style from

Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

and

Surrealism 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 ...

Abstraction Abstraction is a process where general rules and concepts are derived from the use and classifying of specific examples, literal (reality, real or Abstract and concrete, concrete) signifiers, first principles, or other methods. "An abstraction" ...

. She is known for her use of brilliant colors, imaginative figures and the feeling of magic and mysticism created in her paintings and drawings. In 1955, journalist Horia Tanasescu described her work: "At times ironic, often playful, but taking great care in the production of her paintings, this artist introduces an enthusiasm for life to the national art scene that is in striking contrast to the solemnity of the majority of her fellow artists." "Ledesma also touched on social realism in her work, with her most noted series underlining the racial inequities of the time.” "She tried to represent native paintings, with concern, but away from the drama. One of her best stage was marked by the issue of blackness." Her artwork can be found in various private collections worldwide. It can also be found in the Metropolitan Museum of New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Miami, the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico, the Contemporary Art of Madrid and the Gallery of Modern Art. Ledesma's work has also been featured in the Sarduy Gallery of New York, Art Gallery Nader, Signs of New York, and the Gallery of Modern Art in Santo Domingo.

Awards and achievements

* 1948: Gran Premio de Pintura de Bellas Artes en Escultura * 1949: Honorable mention, Exposición Femenina de Bellas Artes, Brazil. * 1950: Third prize, painting, La V Bienal Nacional de de Artes Plásticas de Santo Domingo * 1951: Representative of the Dominican Republic at the I Bienal Hispanoamerica de Arte, Madrid, Spain * 1954: First prize, drawing, La VI Bienal Nacional de de Artes Plásticas de Santo Domingo for "Retrato" * 1951: Representative of the Dominican Republic at the II Bienal Hispanoamerica de Arte, Havana, Cuba * 1956: First prize, painting, La VII Bienal Nacional de Artes Plásticas de Santo Domingo * 1958: First prize, painting, La VIII Bienal Nacional de Artes Plásticas de Santo Domingo, for "El Sacrificio del Chivo" ("The Sacrifice of the Goat") * 1960: Second prize, painting, La X Bienal Nacional de Artes Plásticas de Santo Domingo, "Crepusculo en una Aldea" ("Twilight in a Village") * 1960: Solo show at the Contemporaries of New York * 1963: Second prize, painting, and first prize, drawing, La XI Bienal Nacional de Artes Plásticas de Santo Domingo * 1964: Second prize, drawing, el Primer Concurso Anual de Arte Eduardo León Jimenes, for "Eco atávico" * 1996: Knight of the

Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella The Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella (''Orden al Mérito de Duarte, Sánchez y Mella'') is the principal order of the Dominican Republic. It was established on 24 February 1931 as the ''Juan Pablo Duarte Order of Merit'' (''Orden al M ...

awarded by Leonel Fernández Reyna, president of the Dominican Republic * 1999: Diploma de Honor, Asociación Dominicana Críticos de Arte, ADCA/AICA (posthumous) * 2010: National Prize for Plastic Arts (posthumous) * La Bienal de Madrid, Premio Nicaragua y Medalla de Oro * Selected for the collective for the Medical Association for Puerto Rico titled "Maestros del Continente" ("Teachers of the Continent")

Death

Ledesma died in

Jamaica, Queens Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It has a popular large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis, St Albans, and Cambria Heights to the ea ...

, at the age of 75.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ledesma, Clara 1924 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American women painters 20th-century American painters American abstract painters Dominican Republic abstract painters American company founders American women company founders American Expressionist painters American surrealist artists 20th-century Dominican Republic painters Dominican Republic women artists Dominican Republic emigrants to the United States Dominican Republic expatriates in Spain People from Santiago de los Caballeros Dominican Republic women painters 20th-century Dominican Republic artists Women surrealist artists 20th-century American women