200 Years of Afro-Cuban Art Revealed at Lowe Art Museum
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The Lowe Art Museum is presenting two landmark exhibitions that together form the most comprehensive museum presentation of Afro-Cuban art ever shown. On view through September 12, the exhibitions explore 200 years of Cuban artistic history through the lens of Afrodescendant contributions and the cultural movement of Afrocubanismo.
The first exhibition, El Pasado Mio/My Own Past: Afrodescendant Contributions to Cuban Art, debuted at Harvard University before arriving in Miami in an expanded version curated by Dr. Alejandro de la Fuente of Harvard’s Afro-Latin American Research Institute. Running concurrently is Afrocubanismo: Highlights from the Ramón and Nercys Cernuda Collection, a companion exhibition examining the role Afro-Cuban culture played in shaping Cuban modernism. Together, the exhibitions showcase more than 100 works created between 1822 and 2022 by 58 Cuban artists.
A New Perspective on Cuban Art History
According to Dr. Jill Deupi, Beaux Arts Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Lowe Art Museum, the exhibitions aim to restore overlooked voices within Cuban art history.
“El Pasado Mio/My Own Past restores critical omissions in the annals of Cuban art history by elevating Afrodescendant artists who have been overlooked, forgotten, or written out of the historical record.”
The Lowe’s expanded presentation includes additional works from local Miami collections, doubling the number of historical works created before 1959. The exhibition also highlights eleven female artists who had previously been excluded from the traditional Cuban art canon and are now being exhibited together for the first time.
Among the exhibition highlights are nine paintings by legendary Cuban artist Wifredo Lam, including rare early works from 1926, 1931, and 1937.
Exploring Afrocubanismo
The companion exhibition Afrocubanismo: Highlights from the Ramón and Nercys Cernuda Collection explores the influential cultural movement that emerged in Cuba during the 1930s and 1940s. Featuring 27 artworks by 14 Cuban artists, the exhibition examines how artists interpreted Afro-Cuban culture during Cuba’s Vanguardia movement.
Dr. Alejandro de la Fuente describes the movement as both transformative and complex.
“Collectively these artists achieved something remarkable — they emphasized the idea that you cannot imagine Cuba without its African roots.”
The exhibition includes works by artists such as Eduardo Abela, René Portocarrero, Cundo Bermúdez, and Wifredo Lam, among others.
Highlights from El Pasado Mio / My Own Past
The expanded Harvard exhibition features more than 81 artworks by 44 Afrodescendant Cuban artists across multiple mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, video, and mixed media.
Featured artists include:
Wifredo Lam
Agustín Cárdenas
Manuel Mendive
María Magdalena Campos-Pons
Juan Roberto Diago
The exhibition also brings visibility to previously obscured artists including Pastor Argudin, María Ariza, Antonio Argudin Chon, and Tony Ximenez.
About the Lowe Art Museum
Founded in 1950, the Lowe Art Museum houses nearly 19,000 works of art representing over 5,000 years of global creativity. Located on the University of Miami campus at 1301 Stanford Drive in Coral Gables, the museum offers free general admission and hosts rotating exhibitions and public programs throughout the year.
For more information, visit the Lowe Art Museum website or call 305-284-3535.