The images and information presented below are for the instruction of students and scholarly research.
Amelia Pelaéz
(1896-1968)
ANNOUNCEMENT
Submissions are invited for inclusion in the Catalogue Raisonné of the oeuvre of Amelia Pelaéz under preparation. Works submitted for inclusion must already have been authenticated. For information please contact Mark Winter (make it a link) at info@artexpertswebsite.com or call 1-386-676-0160.
Amelia Pelaéz may
be considered by some as the Cuban equivalent to Picasso
and Matisse. The innovative styling of Pelaéz made her a
forerunner in the departure of Classical styling among
Cuban painters. Her use of chromatics in her synthetic
Cubist oil paintings and ceramics has no equal, and
gained her great acclaim in Cuba and Europe in her
lifetime.
Born in Yaguajay, Cuba into an elite family, her father
was a respected doctor. She grew up in a large family
with ten brothers and sisters, and in 1912 moved to
Havana. This home, as well as the role she takes in her
family, ends up having a great impact on her art work.
After enrolling in the San Alejandro academy and showing
great talent in her romantic landscapes, Pelaéz moves to
New York in 1924 to continue her studies. Her earlier
works are far different from the elaborate, color rich
Cubist paintings that she became known for. One such
painting, “Paisaje de Puentes Grandes” is a typical
example of work done early in her career.
Paisaje de Puentes Grandes
These paintings
have a distinctly muted color palate and an
Impressionistic hand. For this reason, many of her
earlier works may have been wrongly authenticated or
otherwise ignored.
Though she was font of painting wildlife, Pelaéz also
produced a number of portraits during her career. They
are also distinctly different from the work she became
known for, such as “Gundinga” (1931).
Gundinga
Once she left the
restrictions of the San Alejandro School, Pelaéz became
more adventuresome with her painting. On a travel grant
from the Cuban Government, Pelaéz went to Paris and
became influenced by the work of Picasso and Matisse,
and often painted at the Louvre. There she met up with
Russian artist Alexandra Exeter, who greatly influenced
her in her color and Cubism. She also became deeply
involved with the Parisian avante guard. Pelaéz even had
her first one-woman show in Paris at the Zale Galleries
in 1933, for which she was well received.
Upon her return to Cuba in 1934, Pelaéz found herself
back at the home of her youth. There she lived with a
few of her unmarried sisters and embraced many of the
themes of a woman’s life in her art work. She was not
very active in the Cuban art community at this time, and
imposed herself in exile. However, she still managed to
be a part of the Vanguard scene, and her highly Cuban
themes of island flowers and 19th century Cuban
interiors helped to support their cause.
During this time, she began to paint her immediate
surroundings; Cuban flora, interiors and classical
decorative architecture. This role as a homebody
impacted her work, which can be seen in her paintings,
like “Marpacifico” (1943).
Marpacifico
Also during this time,
Pelaéz adopted using thick black lines in her paintings,
as one can see with “Marpacifico.” Because of these
black lines, her colors are more brilliant, and her work
takes on a stained glass appearance, which is apparent
in works like “Naturaleza Muertas” (1964).
Naturaleza Muertas
Towards the end of her
career, Pelaéz began to venture more towards the
abstract methods (as can also be seen in “Naturaleza
Muertas”).
Among her many oil paintings and gouaches, Pelaéz also
became well known for her ceramic decorations, such as
“Vasija” (1957).
Today, the work of Pelaéz is housed at the Museum of
Modern Art in New York, as well as all over Latin
America, Europe and Cuba. Her travels to the United
States and Europe leave a wide open possibility of a
previously unknown work, most likely from the beginning
of her career, to surface by this great Cuban master.
