Lourdes Gómez Franca (February 15, 1933 – October 16, 2017), better known simply as Lourdes, was a

Cuban Cuban or Cubans may refer to: Related to Cuba * of or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban Americ ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

painter and poet who was active in

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Her work was significant in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

and

Cuban art Cuban art is an exceptionally diverse cultural blend of North American, South American, European, and African elements, reflecting the diverse demographic makeup of the island. Cuban artists embraced European modernism, and the early part of the ...

communities of the later Twentieth Century and covered by many critics and scholars.

Life

Early years

Lourdes was born in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. Her family was well-established in

and she was raised in Havana's wealthy

Vedado Vedado (, ) is a central business district and urban neighborhood in the city of Havana, Cuba. Bordered on the east by Calzada de Infanta and Centro Habana, Cuba, Central Havana, and on the west by the Alemendares River and Miramar, Havana, Mir ...

neighborhood of stately homes. Her grandfather was Cuban leader Porfirio Franca (born 1878), a lawyer, banker, and economist who was a member of Cuba's Pentarchy of 1933. Her early life, however, was marked by repeated tragedy that proved to be highly formative to her life and artistic career. Her mother, Josefina, was killed by thieves when Lourdes was 10 months old, causing her father to subsequently deteriorate mentally and physically as he suffered from depression,

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, and possibly

schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

. He was institutionalized when Lourdes was five, after which she and her older sister were raised by their grandparents. Their father died in 1946 when they were 13 and 14, respectively. Lourdes and her sister were both present in the hospital and witnessed his last words. Their grandfather then died in 1950. Art proved to be a powerful outlet for Lourdes early on. She started painting as an untrained

prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and m ...

by the age of three, focusing mainly on religious themes such as the

Madonna and Child In Christian art, a Madonna () is a religious depiction of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a singular form or sometimes accompanied by the Child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word ...

for her first years. She was encouraged by teachers while attending the Escuela de Margot Parraga, the St. George's School, and the Merici Academy. She formally studied painting at the prestigious Academia San Alejandro at the age of 20. By the 1950s Havana newspapers and art critics were praising her impressionistic style. One of her non-religious painting series covered were domestic depictions of her grandfather's home, showing its high ceiling, marble floors, and curving

grand staircase The Grand Staircase is an immense sequence of sedimentary rock layers that stretches south from Bryce Canyon National Park and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, through Zion National Park, and into Grand Canyon National Park. C ...

. She first became a known and respected artist in Cuba at this time, even championed by leading Cuban art figures such as Victor Manuel and Carlos Enriquez. By the end of the decade, however, her life would take several dramatic turns that resulted in major shifts in her career.

Paris period

Lourdes had achieved significant early success and recognition in her home country during its mid-century artistic flourishing. Despite this, she wanted to expand her audience and be known outside of Cuba, as well as learn new skills. She then went to

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 ...

in 1957 at the age of 24 and spent several months there. Though spanning less than a year, this period proved to be a highly significant and pivotal point in her life and career. She studied fine art directly under two leading masters of the time, learning painting from Andre Lhote and etching and engraving from

Stanley Hayter Stanley William Hayter (27 December 1901 – 4 May 1988) was an English painter and master printmaker associated in the 1930s with surrealism and from 1940 onward with abstract expressionism. Regarded as one of the most significant printmakers ...

. She was living in the Cite Universite and immersed in the mid-century Parisian art scene. It was also in this time when

began to surface in Lourdes' life, a key development that greatly impacted much of her work thereafter. Though it was initially gradual, it became progressively worse until she experienced a sexual assault incident that precipitated a mental breakdown. She was then hospitalized shortly afterwards, her first in a series of mental health hospitalizations throughout her life. After her Paris hospitalization, Lourdes returned to Cuba accompanied by a psychiatrist and for a short time was able to find a new balance in her life. She would revisit her traumatic Paris period several times in later paintings and poems.

Miami period and later life

Following the events of the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

and Fidel Castro's rise to power, Lourdes relocated permanently to

in November 1960. She would remain there and continue to paint the rest of her life until her death in 2018. Over the course of her more than fifty-year career in the

, she participated in several exhibitions of her paintings and published poetry collections in both Spanish and English. As in Cuba, Lourdes was a significant presence in the exile community in Miami but often struggled to expand her audience beyond it into a broader mainstream. This was partly due to the crippling impact of her mental health on her career when it came to sustaining high-profile events such as book launches and major art exhibitions, which would remain a constant regret for the remainder of her life. Despite this, she befriended several prominent figures in the South Florida art market who would become important contacts for her throughout the enduring Miami period of her career. Chief among these contacts was

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

-based Cuban fine art patron, dealer, and collector Marta Permuy. Their relationship was a significant aspect of Lourdes' US career as she became a key figure in the Permuy Gallery during the 1970s as well as Permuy's subsequent art salon social circles in the decades following. Lourdes painted portraits of the Permuy family and Permuy was a frequent dealer of her artwork for much of her career. Lourdes would often use her private Coral Gables residence, the Permuy House, as a studio to paint. The two remained close friends with Lourdes referring to Permuy as "mi hermana" ("my sister") in portraits; the two ultimately died within months of each other. Permuy also introduced Lourdes to leading

Latin American art Latin American art is the combined artistic expression of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America, as well as Latin Americans living in other regions. The art has roots in the many different Indigenous peoples of the Americas, i ...

collectors Marcos and Josefina Pinedo, who would also become major collectors of her work. Another prominent art dealer and promoter of Lourdes' artwork was

Coconut Grove Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as "The Grove", is an affluent and the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhoods of Miami, neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by North Prospect Driv ...

-based Barbara Greene. Greene represented her for ten years from 1993 to Greene's death in 2003. She became an emphatic supporter of Lourdes after seeing one of her paintings of a cathedral over a fireplace at the home of artist Pablo Cano. She was active in the period of Gomez Franca's career that included the launch of her last poetry collection, ''El Niño De Guano.'' Other significant friends and professional contacts included fellow Cuban exile artists

Dionisio Perkins Dionisio Perkins (1929 – 2016), better known as Dennis (sometimes spelled "Denis") Perkins, was a Cuban artist recognized as a key member of the early Cuban exile art community in South Florida. Life and career Early years Dionisio Perki ...

and Miguel Jorge. The three would often attend art and social events as a trio and had supported as well as influenced each other's work and careers. Lourdes and Perkins had known each other from their youth in Cuba while Jorge later lived in close proximity to the Permuy Gallery in Coral Gables and introduced Lourdes to the Permuys. Jorge, who died in 1984, wrote the artist statement used for Lourdes' 1981 solo exhibition in Coral Gables. Pablo Cano also became a key friend and artistic collaborator. In addition to introducing Greene to Lourdes, the two worked together on her last two poetry collections published in her lifetime. Cano, thirty years her junior and now better known for his sculptural work, provided the illustrations to each poem in a style that was strongly reminiscent of Lourdes' own, reflecting her influence on him as a mentor.

Style

Stylistically, Lourdes is known for her vivid use of color, heavy

impasto Impasto is a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface thickly, usually thick enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas. When dry, impasto provides tex ...

, and flowing, childlike

Expressionistic 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 radi ...

imagery. She displayed a deliberate lack of

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

with her distinct expressionism that occasionally incorporated aspects of

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 ...

and

Fauvism Fauvism ( ) is a style of painting and an art movement that emerged in France at the beginning of the 20th century. It was the style of (, ''the wild beasts''), a group of modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities and strong col ...

, such as curving and floating objects, vivid and unnatural use of color, disproportionate size, and so on. Specifically, Lourdes' work has been compared to the works of European artists in these movements, namely

Georges Rouault Georges-Henri Rouault (; 27 May 1871, Paris - 13 February 1958, Paris) was a French painter, draughtsman, and printmaker, whose work is often associated with Fauvism and Expressionism. Childhood and education Rouault was born into a poor famil ...

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

, and

Max Beckmann Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (February 12, 1884 – December 27, 1950) was a German painter, drawing, draftsman, printmaker, sculpture, sculptor, and writer. Although he is classified as an Expressionist artist, he rejected both the term and the m ...

, as well as prominent Cuban contemporaries of hers such as Victor Manuel and René Portocarrero. She also frequently used

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

, such as in her color and stylistic choices (e.g. painting individuals blue during their "blue periods") to express more in layers. Cuban art historian Lynette Bosch described Lourdes as "a strong painter" who used high color contrast as signature feature, creating an "emotional

chiaroscuro In art, chiaroscuro ( , ; ) is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to ach ...

" effect. Her subject matter ranged from interpretive portraits of friends to lush

landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

, often rural and tropical, and seasides recalling both scenes of her childhood in Cuba as well as new found inspiration from life in Miami. Her Cuba-inspired work was often a nostalgic look back to Cuba as a

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an Epic poetry, epic poem in blank verse by the English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The poem concerns the Bible, biblical story of the fall of man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their ex ...

that resonated deeply with both the

Cuban exile A Cuban exile is a person who has been exiled from Cuba. Many Cuban exiles have various differing experiences as emigrants depending on when they emigrated from Cuba, and why they emigrated. The exile of Cubans has been a dominating factor in C ...

community as well as those who had never been to Cuba since the decades-long embargo, enhancing its mystique. Other common themes and series include

still life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, human-m ...

s (such as flowers and fruit), animals associated with Cuba (e.g. roosters and fish), and spiritual imagery, such as

angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

and the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. She left many of her works untitled and undated, letting them speak for themselves in her typically pure and straightforward manner; when titles are given, they are likewise simple, unpretentious, and directly descriptive. She usually signed her paintings simply with "Lourdes" (as she was known by most) and on occasion would leave preliminary sketches on the backside of her canvases, offering a playful glimpse into her creative process. Many of her works are introspective and psychological, showing unique glimpses into her perspective as a female immigrant as well as her life-long struggle with mental illness. As such, she captured the world as she saw and experienced it. Her paintings often reflected her immediate moods in the moment they were painted, serving as snapshots of her frame of mind in that general period. As such, those works painted in darker periods of her life were often departures of her "classic" style, instead using darker colors and more muddied composition.

Gallery

Selected works

;Poetry collections * ''Poemas íntimos'' (1964), A.C.A.P.E. Publishers * ''Era una lagrima que amaba en silencio'' (1975), AIP Publishers, self illustrated * ''The Thorns Are Green My Friend'' (1989), published by Ediciones Universal, illustrated by Pablo Cano * ''El Niño De Guano'' (1993), published by Ediciones Universal, illustrated by Pablo Cano

Selected solo exhibitions

* 1957:

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...

, Havana, Cuba * 1960: Lyceum, Havana, Cuba * 1971: American Art Institute, Miami, Florida * 1976:

Bacardi Bacardi Limited ( , , ) is the largest privately held, family-owned spirits company in the world. Originally known for its Bacardí brand of white rum, it now has a portfolio of more than 200 brands and labels. Founded in Cuba in 1862 by Facund ...

Gallery, Miami, Florida * 1981: "Lourdes Gomez Franca." Interamericas Art Gallery, Coral Gables, Florida * 1987: Camilo Muebles Exhibition, Coral Gables, Florida * 1991: "Un Sol Cubano," Pablo Cano Studio, Miami, Florida

Reputation and legacy

Gomez Franca's work attracted media and critical attention throughout her over sixty-year career. She won several awards, including Second Prize for oil Painting from the CINTAS Foundation in 1966, Third Prize for oil painting during the 1966 University of Miami Group Exhibition, and First Prize for oil painting in the 1969 Arcadia Exhibition. Her career was covered extensively by media in both Cuba and the United States, conducted several interviews, and was profiled by ''

El Nuevo Herald ''El Nuevo Herald'' is a newspaper published daily in Spanish in Southeast Florida, United States. Its headquarters is in Doral. ''El Nuevo Heralds sister paper is the ''Miami Herald'', also produced by the McClatchy Company. About ''el Nuevo ...

'' (including "Lourdes Gomez Franca – Imagenes Tortuadas"; June 27, 1988 and "Lourdes Gomez Franca: De La Furia A La Calma Una Tragica Historia Personal"; June 10, 1990) and

The Palm Beach Post ''The Palm Beach Post'' is an American daily newspaper serving Palm Beach County in South Florida, and parts of the Treasure Coast. On March 18, 2018, in a deal worth US$42.35 million, ''The Palm Beach Post'' and '' The Palm Beach Daily News' ...

("An Artist and Her Demon"; July 18, 1993 – redistributed on the

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

, August 15, 1993). Lourdes has been praised by leading scholars in

. Prominent Cuban art critic and

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

affiliate Giulio V. Blanc, who famously coined the term "the Miami Generation," called her "The most underrated artist in Miami" in ''

Arts Magazine ''Arts Magazine'' was a prominent American monthly magazine devoted to fine art. It was established in 1926 and last published in 1992. History Founding Launched in 1926 and originally titled ''The Art Digest,'' it was printed semi-monthly from ...

''. He also wrote the foreword for her 1989 book ''The Thorns Are Green My Friend'', a poetry collection written primarily during one of her hospitalizations. In it, he said of Victor Manuel and Enriquez "That these two notoriously acerbic and difficult men should have found something to praise in Lourdes is telling." He also went on to describe Gomez Franca as "an undiscovered Treasure of Miami." She has also been discussed in several books by noted Cuban art historians, such as ''Cuban-American Literature and Art: Negotiating Identities'' (by Isabel Alvarez Borland and Lynette M. F. Bosch, 2009), ''Cuban-American Art in Miami: Exile, Identity and the Neo-Baroque'' (Lynette M. F. Bosch, 2004), ''Memoria : Cuban art of the 20th century'' (by José Veigas, Cristina Vives, Adolfo V Nodal, Valia Garzón, and Dannys Montes de Oca; 2009) and ''Paradise Lost or Gained: The Literature of Hispanic Exile'' (by Fernando Alegria and Jorge Ruffinelli, 1990). Lourdes was also featured on the 1993 ''Art Now Gallery Guide: National & international'' (Volume 12, Issues 7-8) and 1990 edition of ''Arts Magazine'' (Volume 65, Issues 1-4). Her work is included in the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

Lowe Art Museum Lowe Art Museum is the art museum of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The museum is located on the campus of the University of Miami and is accessible by Metrorail (Miami-Dade County), Miami Metrorail at University station (Miami- ...

as well as several prominent collections of Cuban art, including the Permuy and Pinedo collections.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomez-Franca, Lourdes 1933 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Cuban painters 20th-century Cuban poets 20th-century Cuban women writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century Cuban women artists 21st-century Cuban women artists Artists from Havana Cuban contemporary artists Cuban women poets Writers from Florida American women non-fiction writers American Expressionist painters American portrait painters American still life painters Cuban emigrants to the United States 21st-century American women painters 21st-century American painters 20th-century women painters