“In the Mind’s Eye: Landscapes of Cuba” will open Sept. 24 at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University (FIU). The groundbreaking exhibition assembles 19th- and 20th-century works by U.S. and Cuban artists to explore race, colonialism, nationalism, and the intertwined dynamics of the two nations. Key works by contemporary artists such as Juana Valdés and Emilio Perez will be featured to encourage reflection on the past and shed light on present-day approaches to the Cuban landscape.
“In the Mind’s Eye” will feature more than 50 works from distinguished institutions and private collections throughout the United States. An opening reception will take place Sept. 24 from 4-6 p.m. at the Frost Art Museum. A suite of education programming will take place during the exhibition.
“In the Mind’s Eye” examines how historic painters active in Cuba projected and injected ideas about their country into landscape painting to reflect political, social, and ideological changes in Cuba and the United States. While some artists depicted a pastoral, serene Cuba, others acknowledged the history of race and slavery through works that equate landscape to nationalism.
The exhibition reveals many stories about Cuba that reflect the island’s significance among U.S.-born artists such as William Glackens, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, Willard Metcalf, and Frederic Remington. “In the Mind’s Eye” opens new avenues of inquiry about the Caribbean island which has played an outsized role in global politics, economics, and culture. Historic paintings and drawings are enhanced through contemporary works of Juan Carlos Alom and María Magdalena Campos-Pons, among others.
The exhibition features work by Esteban Chartrand, Edmund Darch Lewis, Winslow Homer, Elihu Vedder, Miguel Melero Rodríguez, Valentín Sanz Carta, Eduardo Laplante, Federico Mialhe, Leopoldo Romañach, Tomás Sanchez, Carrie Mae Weems, Yoan Capote, Enrique Martinez Celaya, Diana Fonseca Quiñones, Alejandro Campins, and Glexis Novoa.
“With ‘In the Mind’s Eye,’ the Frost Art Museum demonstrates its commitment to investigate the arc of history through thematic exhibitions that connect ideas and concepts that engage diverse audiences,” said Frost Art Museum Director Jordana Pomeroy. “The exhibition presents beautiful images and explores how context changes meaning. Embedded in these works we find exchanges of ideas about the arts, politics, and cultural identity.”
Amy Galpin, chief curator at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum-FIU, in consultation with curatorial advisors, organized the exhibition. Giles, Ltd. Published an accompanying catalogue that features essays by Galpin, Jorge Duany and Katherine Manthorne, plus new interviews with artists Carlos Martiel and Juana Valdés conducted by Elvia Rosa Castro and Donette Francis. The exhibition will close Jan. 15, 2023.
This exhibition and catalogue are made possible by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Additional generous support for the exhibition is provided by Ramón and Nercys Cernuda and the Gazitua family.
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