Rafael Soriano (November 23, 1920 – April 9, 2015) 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 ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

who lived in the United States.

Biography

Soriano was born on November 23, 1920, in Cidra,

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 ...

Province, Cuba. He was studied at the San Alejandro Art Academy 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. During his studies, he met the critic

José Gómez-Sicre José Gómez-Sicre (July 6, 1916 in Matanzas, Cuba – July 22, 1991 in Washington, D.C.) was a noted Cuban lawyer, art critic and writer. Education Gómez-Sicre graduated from the University of Havana in 1941 with degrees in Consular Law and Po ...

and painters Víctor Manuel and Fidelio Ponce. With them he had a close friendship. He has started painting in

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, and soon became one of the primary practitioners of concrete art in Cuba and

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

. In 1943, he became a professor. He left Cuba in 1962 and went to the United States with his wife, Milagros, and their daughter, Hortensia. In November 2008, the Miami Dade College West Campus in

Doral, Florida Doral is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. One of 34 municipalities in the county, it is located west of Miami International Airport and west of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. Doral occupies bordered on the west ...

hosted an Soriano exhibit titled ''Between the Mystic and the Spiritual''.

Rafael Soriano Foundation

After Soriano's death in 2015, his family created the Rafael Soriano Foundation, in order to encourage a deeper appreciation of his artwork as one of the major Latin American Artist of his time. In particular, this Foundation promotes exhibitions that focus on his work in order to be placed in museums and collections around the globe. They also maintain a main database that catalogues all works made solely by Soriano. Aside from their main purpose they have donated two major paintings to the Smithsonian Art Museum. Paintings donated include ''Candor de la Alborada''(Candor of Dawn) 1994 and ''Un Lugar Distante''(A Distant Place) 1972.

Exhibitions

*“The Artist as Mystic” ''El Artista Como Mistico'' featured nearly a hundred paintings by Soriano as well as pastels and drawings also made by him. The theme was focused on his development as an artist by analyzing his early midway works such as his emigration where his style went through a change. *October 2013 – May 2016 – The Smithsonian Museum featured it as part of its Latino Collection Artwork that explores how Latino Artist shaped the art movement of their time that influenced American art and culture. *January 30th to June 4, 2017 – McMullen Museum of Art *June 29th to October 1, 2017 – Long Beach Museum of Art * October 23 to January 28, 2018 – Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum. The McMullen Museum of Art organized the exhibition,

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

collaborated with the Rafael Soriano Foundation and was curated by Elizabeth Thompson Goizueta. *August 30th to October 22, 2017 – Coral Gable Museum displayed the “Real and Imagined: Abstract Art” from

CINTAS Cintas Corporation () is an American corporation headquartered in Mason, Ohio which provides a range of products and services to businesses including uniforms, mats, mops, cleaning and restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, fire ex ...

that explored the art abstraction alongside other artists such as Mario Carreno, Jose Mijares, etc.

References

External links

www.rafaelsoriano.com

www.rafaelsorianofoundation.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soriano, Rafael 1920 births 2015 deaths Cuban painters People from Matanzas Province Painters from Miami Cuban emigrants to the United States