RECENT ACQUISITIONS
July 22 through December 15, 2010
Alejandro Aguilera, Aurelio (Life After Death), 2009. The Shelley and Donald Rubin Private Collection. [Image Description: An abstract painting features a blue background with flecks of white. Horizontal white and yellow lines, some of which have red triangular flags hanging from them, traverse the image. At the center, an array of bright orange and yellow brushstrokes shoot downwards to the bottom of the image. Faint white letters at the bottom right of the image read “Life After Death.”]
Shelley and Donald Rubin began acquiring Cuban art in 2008. The collection quickly grew and as of 2010 is comprised of almost 400 contemporary works. Cuban art expands the scope of the Rubins’ collection while maintaining a commitment to the preservation of cultures and to art that inspires appreciation for sacred and isolated places around the world.
Recent Acquisitions encompasses three decades of work by some of Cuba’s foremost artists, the majority of whom still live on the island. Employing various mediums and methods that range from the dramatically tactile sculpture of Alejandro Aguilera to the repurposed bus window donning neon lotto numbers and aluminum foil by Alberto Casado, many of the artists take inspiration from what the environment—literally, culturally and politically— provides them. The rich and varied visual vocabulary the artists employ reflects the multi-cultural and diverse ethnic make up of Cuba’s population. Recent Acquisitions provides just a small taste of Cuban cultural expression and celebrates these artists and their significant contributions.
Featuring work by Kadir López, Belkis Ayón, Rocío García, Fernando Rodríguez, José Bedia, Manuel Mendive, Sandra Ramos, Elsa Mora, Roberto Fabelo, Alicia Leal, Douglas Pérez, Alejandro Aguilera, Carlos Estévez, Ibrahim Miranda, Clara Morera, Zaida del Rio, Carlos Cárdenas, Los Carpinteros, Armando Mariño, Alexandre Arrechea, Ricardo Elias, José Toirac, Ernesto Pujol, Yamilys Brito, Tomás Esson, Sandra Ceballos, Ángel Delgado, and Roberto Diago.
Installation view of “Recent Acquisitions” at The 8th Floor, July 2010. Courtesy of the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation.