Born in Havana, Cuba (1929-2003)

 

BIOGRAPHY

 

Artist Hugo Consuegra was a Cuban visual artist who was born in 1929. Consuegra has had several gallery and museum exhibitions, including at the Pan American Art Projects, Miami, Florda and at the Cernuda Arte. Several works by the artist have been sold at auction, including 'Montescos y Capuletos" sold at Stair Galleries '20th Century, Modern & Contemporary Fine & Decorative Arts' in 2016 for $9,000. There have been many articles about Hugo Consuegra, including 'Retrospective: The Cuban Art Scene in 1964' written for Art News in 2014. The artist died in 2003. 

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EDUCATION

 

1941‑1947

Music lessons (piano). Conservatorio Hubert de Blanck, Havana, CUBA.

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1943‑1947

Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes “San Alejandro,” Havana, CUBA.

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1948‑1955

Architecture. Universidad de La Habana, Havana, CUBA.

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1959

Scholarship for study in Europe on the Integration of Arts, granted by the General Division of Culture, Ministry of Education, CUBA.

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1972‑1973

Engraving. Printmaking Workshop, New York, U.S.A.

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PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY

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1952‑1961

Member. Group “Arquitectos Unidos,” Havana, CUBA.

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1953‑1955

Member. Group “Los Once,” Havana, CUBA.

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1959‑1963

Director. Arts Division of the Ministry of Public Works, Havana, CUBA.

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1960‑1965

Member. Cuban UNESCO Committee, Havana, CUBA.

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1960‑1965

Professor of the History of Architecture and Related Arts. Faculty of Technology, Universidad de La Habana, Havana, CUBA.

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1960‑1965

President. Cuban Committee of the International Association of Artists (AIAP), Havana, CUBA.

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1962

Juror. Primer Concurso Latinoamericano de Grabado. Casa de las Américas, Havana, CUBA.

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1980's ‑1995 Architect. Brennan Beer Gorman Architects, Manhattan, U.S.A.

 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

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1953

Exposición Hugo Consuegra. Oleos‑Acuarelas‑Dibujos [May 21‑29]. Lyceum, Havana, CUBA.*

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1956

[Paintings, Drawings and Collages] [May 21‑June 19]. Pan American Union, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

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1957

[15 Paintings] [November 18‑December 7]. Roland de Aenlle Gallery, New York, U.S.A.

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1958

Hugo Consuegra de Cuba [October 26‑November 5]. Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, VENEZUELA.*

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1964

Oleos y Dibujos. Hugo Consuegra [December 29]. Galería de La Habana, Havana, CUBA

Sopot International Festival. Sopot, POLAND (travelling exhibit to Wroclaw and Krakow)

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1969

Consuegra on Paper. Drawings [December 2‑24]. Cisneros Gallery, New York, U.S.A.*

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1971

Hugo Consuegra. “Curriculum Vitae” [April 3‑24]. Cisneros Gallery, New York, U.S.A.*

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1976

Consuegra. Oils and Etchings [March 9‑27]. Aames Gallery, New York, U.S.A.*

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1978

Hugo Consuegra, Guido Llinás, Carlos Sueños [February 10‑March 5]. Forma Gallery, Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.A.*

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1981

Hugo Consuegra. Oils and Drawings [April 30‑June 6]. Cayman Gallery, New York, U.S.A.*

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[1993]

[An Exhibition of Contemporary Cuban Art by Hugo Consuegra] [October 1]. The Cantor Seinuk Group, New York, U.S.A.*

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1993

Hugo Consuegra, Guido Llinás, Tomás Oliva A. Reunion [November 4‑30]. Jadite Galleries, New York, U.S.A.*

 

SELECTED GROUP SHOWS

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1946

XXVIII Salón Anual de Pintura y Escultura [February]. Círculo de Bellas Artes, Havana, CUBA.*

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1947

XXIX Salón Anual de Pintura y Escultura [February]. Círculo de Bellas Artes, Havana, CUBA.*

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1951

Nuestro Tiempo. Galería de Artes Plásticas [Inaugural Exhibition]. Galería Nuestro Tiempo, Havana, CUBA.*

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1953

VI Salón Nacional de Pintura y Escultura [January 10‑25]. Salones del Capitolio Nacional, Havana, CUBA.*

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1954

Plástica Cubana Contemporánea. Homenaje a José Martí [January 28‑February 14]. Lyceum, Havana, CUBA.*

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1955

Cuatro Pintores Jóvenes. Hugo Consuegra, Guido Llinás, Raúl Martínez, Zilia Sánchez [March]. Instituto de Cultura Hispánica, Madrid, SPAIN.*

II Festival Universitario de Arte. Exposición Plástica Cubana Contemporánea [July 7‑23]. Escuela de Derecho, Universidad de La Habana, Havana, CUBA.*

[Guest Draftsman] III Bienal do Museu de Arte Moderna de Sâo Paulo [July-October]. Pan American Union Pavilion, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL.

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1956

Exposición Homenaje en Memoria de Guy Pérez de Cisneros [January 12‑29]. Lyceum, Havana, CUBA.*

Gulf‑Caribbean Art Exhibition [April 4‑May 6]. The Museum of Fine Arts of Houston, Texas/The Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Texas/The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts/The Munson Williams‑Proctor Institute, Utica, New York/ The Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania/The Colorado Springs Fine Art Center, Colorado, U.S.A.

Recent Paintings from Cuba [October 5‑25]. Roland de Aenlle Gallery, New York, U.S.A.*

Exposición de Pintura y Escultura Contemporánea. Asociación Cubana por la Libertad de la Cultura [December 21/1956‑January 3/1957]. Zulueta No. 208 altos, Havana, CUBA.*

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1957

IV Bienal do Museu de Arte Moderna de Sâo Paulo [September-December]. Parque Ibirapuera, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL.

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1958

Pittsburgh International Exhibition. Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

A Salute to Latin America. Milwaukee Art Center, Milwaukee, U.S.A.

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1959

Contemporary Drawings from Latin America [April 13‑May 10]. Pan American Union, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.*

The Unites States collect Pan American Art [July 7‑September]. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

Exposición Pintura Contemporánea Cubana [September 12‑22]. Universidad de Santo Tomás de Villanueva, Havana, CUBA.*

Salón Anual 1959. Pintura, Escultura y Grabado [October 10‑November 10]. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, CUBA.*

Salon Comparaisons [April 11-May 4]. Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, FRANCE.

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1960

Pintura Contemporánea Cubana (See chapter “The Exhibitions,” no.511).

Segunda Bienal Interamericana de México [September 5‑November 5]. Palacio de Bellas Artes, Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, MEXICO.

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1961

VI Bienal de Sâo Paulo Museu de Arte Moderna [September-December]. Parque Ibirapuera, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL.

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1962

Salón Nacional/1962. Homenaje a Carlos Enríquez [February 9]. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, CUBA.* (Cuban Painting Show) (See chapter “The Exhibitions,” no.513).

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1963

Primer Salón Nacional de Dibujos/1962 sobre Temas de la Revolución [March 22‑?]. Biblioteca Nacional José Martí, Havana, CUBA.*

 

Pintura y Esculturas Cubanas. Saludo al VII Congreso de la Unión Internacional de Arquitectos [September 29‑?]. 23 y O, La Rampa, Havana, CUBA.*VII Bienal de Sâo Paulo [September-December]. Parque Ibirapuera, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL.*

3éme Biennale de Paris. Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, FRANCE.

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1965

Exposición de Dibujos de Artistas Cubanos [July 23‑?]. Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, CUBA.

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1969

Maestros Hispánicos de Hoy. Museo de Bellas Artes, Cadiz, SPAIN.

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1972

Segunda Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano [January‑?]. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, PUERTO RICO.*

Tercera Bienal de Arte Coltejer. Medellin, COLOMBIA.*

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1972‑1973

Eighteen National Print Exhibition. Brooklyn Museum, New York/ California Palace of Legion of Honor, California, U.S.

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1973

I Festival de Arte Cubano en Nueva York. Cathedral St. John the Divine, New York, U.S.A.

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1974

Cubans in New York’74 [February 16‑28]. Cisneros Gallery, New York, U.S.A.*

Tercera Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano. Arsenal de la Marina, San Juan, PUERTO RICO.

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1975

6 Cuban Painters Working in New York [January 15‑February 23]. Center for Inter‑American Relations, New York, U.S.A.*

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1976

Contemporary Printmakers of the Americas (travelling exhibit) [February 11‑20]. [Seat of the OAS], Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Carroll Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, U.S.A.

Exhibit of Modern Painting by Cuban Artists. Museo Cubano de Arte y Cultura, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.

Re‑encuentro Cubano 1977 [June]. Museo Cubano de Arte y Cultura, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.*

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1977

First Exhibit of Cintas Fellows. Miami‑Dade Public Library/ Continental Bank of Miami/Miami‑Dade Community College, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.

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1978

Variations on Latin Themes in New York [June 14‑July 28]. The Center for Inter‑American Relations, New York, U.S.A.

Contemporary Latin American Art: the Esso Collection of the Lowe Art Museum and Latin American Artists of the Southeastern U.S. [September 14‑October 8]. Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.A.*

Hispanic‑American Artists of the United States: Argentina, Bolivia Chile, Cuba, Uruguay [November 7‑December 7]. Museum of Modern Art of Latin America, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

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1979

Cuarta Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano [May‑?]. Arsenal de la Marina, San Juan, PUERTO RICO.

Twentieth Century Cuban Painting. Metropolitan Museum & Art Center /Interamerican Foundation for the Endowment of the Fine Arts, Miami Beach Center, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.A.

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1980

First Latin American Graphic Arts Biennal [April 24‑May 24]. Cayman Gallery, New York, U.S.A.*

1981

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18th, 19th and 20th Century Latin American Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures and Prints [December 2‑3]. Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, U.S.A.

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1982

Cuba Otra. Escandalar. Shenadoah Library and Meeting Point Gallery, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.

Second Latin America Graphic Art Biennial. Cayman Gallery, New York, U.S.A.

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1987

Abstract Visions [November 24/1987‑January 17/1988]. Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art (MOCHA), New York, U.S.A.

Colección Rafael Casalins. Museo Cubano de Arte y Cultura, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.*

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1988

Cintas Fellows Revisited: A Decade After [October 1/1988‑January 15/1989]. Main Library, Metro‑Dade Cultural Center, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.*

1990

The Awakening/El Despertar [October]. The Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.A.

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1992

El Impacto de Dos Mundos/The Impact of Two Worlds [October]. Artspace, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A.

Cuba: Expressions from the Diaspora. Fine Arts Museum of Long Island, Hempstead, New York, U.S.A.Cuban Artists Collection. Volume I. Javier Lumbreras Fine Art, Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.A.

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1994

Cuban Artists: Expressions in Graphics [March 3‑5]. Jadite Galleries, New York, U.S.A.*

Cuban Presence [October 6‑November 5]. Vista Gallery, New York, U.S.A.

Art en Route. MTA Arts for Transit. Paine Webber Art Gallery, New York, U.S.A.

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1995

Art‑Exhibit and Silent Auction of Works by Contemporary Artists to Benefit FAITH Services [May 25‑31]. Jadite Galleries, New York, U.S.A.*

Envisioning East New York. The Urban Center, New York, U.S.A.

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1996

9 Cuban American Artists [November 20/1996-January 22/1997]. Kingsborough Community College Art Gallery, City University of New York, New York, U.S.A.*

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1997

Breaking Barriers. Selections from the Museum of Art’s Permanent Contemporary Cuban Collection. Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A.*

Pinturas del Silencio [May]. Galería La Acacia, Havana, CUBA.*

 

AWARDS

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1946

Honorable Mention. XXVIII Salón Anual de Pintura y Escultura, Círculo de Bellas Artes, Havana, CUBA.

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1948

Gold Medal. Landscape. XXX Salón de Bellas Artes, Círculo de Bellas Artes, Havana, CUBA.

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1956

“Luis de Soto” Award, Universidad de La Habana, Havana, CUBA.

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1960

Honorable Mention. Segunda Bienal Interamericana de México, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, MEXICO.

Second Prize. II Anual de Pintura, Barranquilla, COLOMBIA.

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1970‑1971/1973-1974

Cintas Foundation Fellowship, New York, U.S.A.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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“Cultural Identity and Design [interview with Hugo Consuegra].” The Urban Magazine of Architecture and Design, New York, U.S.A., July‑August, 1994.*

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La Enciclopedia de Cuba. Book 5. Artes. Sociedad. Filosofía, Enciclopedia y Clásicos Cubanos, Inc., Ed. Playor, S.A., Madrid [illus.], pp.233‑234, SPAIN, 1975.*

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“Hugo Consuegra.” Noticias de Arte, Havana, Vol. I, No. 9, p.2, CUBA, June‑July, 1953.*

“Hugo Consuegra.” Pintores Cubanos, Ediciones R., Havana [illus.] [texts by Oscar González Hurtado/Edmundo Desnoes], pp.198‑201, CUBA, 1962.*

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“New Mural in Time & Life Lobby.” Focus, The Rockefeller Group, New York [illus.], pp.4‑6, U.S.A., September‑October, 1990.*

O Estado de Sâo Paulo, Sao Paulo, BRAZIL, October, 1961.

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ASHTON, Dore. The New York Times, New York, U.S.A., [November‑December], 1957.

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ATIRNOMIS. Arts Magazine, New York, U.S.A., 1971.

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BENYMAN, Florence S. Sunday Star, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., June 3, 1956.*

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BRADY, Mary. Center Magazine, Rockefeller Center, New York, U.S.A., 1990.

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BROWN, Gordon. Arts Magazine, New York, U.S.A., May, 1976.

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BUJAN, Juan. “Hugo Consuegra: El Artista como Disidente.” La Voz Hispana, New York [illus.], p.18, U.S.A., May 21, 1981.*

CANADAY, John. The New York Times, New York, U.S.A., December 6, 1969.

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CHASE, Gilbert. “Art in Latin America.” The Free Press, New York [illus.],U.S.A., 1970.*

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DESNOES, Edmundo. “8 Pintores y Escultores.” Casa de las Américas, Havana, No. 9, [illus.], pp.131-136, CUBA, November-December, 1961.*

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DIEHL, Gastón. Historie de l’Art. Encyclopedie de la Pleiade. Ed. Gallimard, Paris, FRANCE, 1969.

DORANTE, Carlos. “5 de los mejores abstractos cubanos exponen en ‘Sardio’.” El Nacional, Caracas, [illus.], VENEZUELA, July 20, 1957.*

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DULZAIDES NODA, Luis. Havana, June, 1953 [reproduced in Recuerdo de Los Once (selection of Part I), photocopy of the unpublished original, 72 pp., New York [1993]).*

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FUENTES, Ernesto. “Una Abstracción Original.” El Nacional, Caracas, VENEZUELA, [November], 1958.

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GOMEZ SICRE, José. cat. Exposición Personal de Pinturas, Dibujos y Collages de Hugo Consuegra, Pan American Union, Washington, D.C., May 21‑June 19, 1956.

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“Hugo Consuegra en la Pintura Cubana.” Artes, Havana, CUBA, April 1, 1959.*

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Consuegra on Paper, Cisneros Gallery, New York [illus.], 1 pp., U.S.A., December 2‑24, 1969.*

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Art of Cuba in Exile. Editora Munder, Miami, Florida [illus.], pp.39‑42, U.S.A., 1987.*

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J.N. Arts Magazine, New York, U.S.A., 1969.

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LAUDERMAN ORTIZ, Gladys. El Mundo, Havana, CUBA, May, 1953.

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MARQUINA, Rafael. Información, Havana, CUBA, February 7, 1954.

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“Reportaje acerca del Departamento de Artes Plásticas del Ministerio de Obras Públicas [interview with Hugo Consuegra].” Información, Havana, Sección Cultural, CUBA, May 3, 1959.*

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M.L. Art News, New York, U.S.A., 1969.

MONGE, Pedro. “Hugo Consuegra en un breve espacio.” Vanguardia, New York [illus.], p.18, U.S.A., May 2, 1976.*

NIGTH, Avel de. France‑Amérique, New York, U.S.A., 1957.

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PITA RODRIGUEZ, Félix. “Los Planisferios Celestes de Hugo Consuegra.” El Nacional, Caracas, VENEZUELA, November 4, 1958.

POGOLOTTI, Graziella. “Nueva Pintura de Cuba.” La Gaceta de Cuba, Havana, Vol. 11, No. 30 [illus.], pp.2‑5 (essay)/7‑14 (surveys), CUBA, December 4, 1963.*

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“Hugo Consuegra: Una Pintura de Transición.” Bohemia, Havana [illus.], p.25, CUBA, January 29, 1965.*

POLIER, Betsy. Park East, New York, U.S.A., 1969.

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PORTNER, Leslie Judd. “Fine Show by One of The Eleven.” The Washington Post and Time Herald, Washington, D.C. [illus.], p.E7, U.S.A., June 3, 1956.*

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POWELL, B. “Arts and Artists.” Park East, New York, U.S.A., 1971.

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R.W.D. Arts Magazine, New York, U.S.A., 1958.

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SERRA‑BADUHAVANA, Daniel. “Painting as a Revelation.” Noticias de Arte, New York, U.S.A., 1981.

TEXIDOR, Joaquín. “Exposición Hugo Consuegra. Oleos, Acuarelas, Dibujos.”

Inventario, Havana, Vol. II, No. 26, CUBA, May, 1953.*

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“Rango Plástico de Hugo Consuegra.” Tiempo, Havana, Sección Indice de Artes y Letras, p.9, CUBA, December 7, 1954.*VALDES Jr., Gustavo. “El Color de la Palabra. 32 Artistas Cubanos.” Stet, Edición Especial, New York, Vol. I, No. 2 [illus.], p.14, U.S.A., 1992.*

"To Speak on Cuban Art is to Speak of Hugo Consuegra.” Ars Magazine, New York, No. 4 [illus.], pp.10-13, U.S.A., Spring-Summer, 1996.*

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VECIANA, Ana. The Miami News, Miami, Florida, U.S.A., 1978.

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YEVTUSHENKO, Yevgeni. Novosti, Moscow, U.S.S.R., September, 1962.

 

PUBLICATIONS

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Cuban Artists Collection. Vol.I. Serigraphs. Ed. Miami Press Publishers & Distributors, Inc., 1993 [text by Juan Espinosa Almodovar], Miami, Florida, U.S.A. (silk-screens).

Cuban Artists Collection [Hugo Consuegra, Raimundo García, Osvaldo Gutiérrez, Eduardo Michaelsen, Mijares, Mario Torroella]. Volumen I, Ed. Miami Press Publishers and Distributors, Inc., 1994, Miami, Florida, U.S.A. (portfolio of silk-screens).

Pintura Contemporánea. Colección Arte Cubano, Serie I, Ed. Comisión Nacional Cubana de la UNESCO [postcards], [1961 ca.], Havana, CUBA (reproduction).

 

PRINCIPAL COLLECTIONS

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Casa de las Américas, Havana, CUBA.

Cintas Foundation, New York, U.S.A.

National Gallery, Sofia, BULGARIA.

Isaac Delgado Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.

Jersey City Museum of Art, New Jersey, U.S.A.

Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.A.

Miami‑Dade Public Library, Miami, Florida, U.S.A.

Museo de Barranquilla, Barranquilla, COLOMBIA.

Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, VENEZUELA.

Museo de Bellas Artes, San Juan, PUERTO RICO.

Museo Emilio Bacardí, Santiago de Cuba, CUBA.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, CUBA.

Museum of Modern Art of Latin America, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

National Endowment for the Arts, New York, U.S.A.

New York Public Library, New York, U.S.A.

New York State Council of the Arts, New York, U.S.A.

New York Transit Museum, New York, U.S.A.

New York University, New York, U.S.A.

Pan American Union, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Printmaking Workshop, New York, U.S.A.

Taiwan Provincial Museum, Taipei, TAIWAN.

 

WORK IN A PUBLIC PLACE

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Mural, 1990

Marble; 4.4 x 6 m; lobby. Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, U.S.A.