Agustín Cárdenas
Agustín Cárdenas Alfonso (April 10, 1927, Matanzas, Cuba – February 9, 2001, Havana, Cuba) was a Cuban sculptor who was active in the Surrealist movement in Paris. His sculpture was influenced by Brâncuși, Henry Moore, and Jean Arp. Poet
«Cárdenas was born in Matanzas, Cuba in 1927 and studied at the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Alejandro in Havana from 1943 to 1949. His first individual show was held at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Havana in 1955, and that same year he traveled to Paris on a scholarship. His wood and stone sculptures are biomorphic and expertly realized, provocative both intellectually and sensually. The affinity that the surrealists felt for his work led to his first Paris exhibition at the Galerie L'Etoile Scellle in 1956. Since then, Cárdenas has been exhibited widely in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. At the 1961 Biennale de Paris he was awarded the prize in sculpture. Among his many individual shows have been FIAC, Paris (1980,1984), Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas (1982), and International Gallery, Chicago (1990). His works appear in many museums and private collections, including Fond National d'Art Contemporain, Montreal, Museum of Modern Art, Tel Aviv, Hakone Museum, Japan, Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, and Musee d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris.
