An experienced lawyer in Miami, Florida, Marcell Felipe has spent the majority of his career advocating for the people of Cuba and helping their society recover in the post-Castro era. Complementing this work, Marcell Felipe serves as chairman of the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, which has featured exhibits from Cuban artists like Rafael Soriano.
Born in 1920, Rafael Soriano was one of the few third Cuban avant-garde artists to study at the prestigious San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts. His early work, which he painted under the tutelage of such modernists as Fidelio Ponce, borrowed influence from surrealism. During the 1950s, Soriano moved into a more geometric style, developing works that combined flat color schemes with angular shapes.
Following the Cuban revolution in 1959, which led to the rise of a totalitarian regime, Soriano left Cuba to live in exile with his family in America. The trauma of this move left him incapable of creating art until the mid-1960s. When Soriano resumed his work, he departed from the geometric style for which he was known and began working in a biomorphic style. Between the late 1960s and the 1990s, he painted a series of more than 20 heads that reflected the need for balance personal identity with freedom. These “Cabezas” touch upon the metaphysical and the existential through Soriano’s unique artistic vision.
Born in 1920, Rafael Soriano was one of the few third Cuban avant-garde artists to study at the prestigious San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts. His early work, which he painted under the tutelage of such modernists as Fidelio Ponce, borrowed influence from surrealism. During the 1950s, Soriano moved into a more geometric style, developing works that combined flat color schemes with angular shapes.
Following the Cuban revolution in 1959, which led to the rise of a totalitarian regime, Soriano left Cuba to live in exile with his family in America. The trauma of this move left him incapable of creating art until the mid-1960s. When Soriano resumed his work, he departed from the geometric style for which he was known and began working in a biomorphic style. Between the late 1960s and the 1990s, he painted a series of more than 20 heads that reflected the need for balance personal identity with freedom. These “Cabezas” touch upon the metaphysical and the existential through Soriano’s unique artistic vision.
