The images and information presented below are for the instruction of students and scholarly research.
Enrique Riveron
(1902-1998)
Artist With His Work
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A Few Lines to Noella, 1976
Accent on Red, 1957
Born in Cienfuegos, Cuba, Enrique Riveron worked in every medium from oil paint, to clay and experimented with a number of styles and venues of art. Riveron received his early art training at the Villate Academy in Havana. During the 1920s Riveron traveled to Europe where he attended school at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid. Through scholarships, Riveron was able to study in Italy, France, Belgium and Spain, which greatly influenced his artistic style.
Bird Series, 1984
By the River, 1959
Because Riveron’s main art education was not in Cuba, his work had a distinctly European flavor. Riveron did not show in Cuba his 1927 solo-exhibition at the Association of Painters and Sculptors in Havana.
Calusa, seriagraph 1979
Untitled, oil on paper 1961
Early in his career, Riveron was known for his naturalistic depictions of city life in France and Cuba, and he gained quite a bit of attention from them. In the 1930s, Riveron began to create collages, and also experimented with Cubism and abstract art. In fact, Riveron was one of the only painters of the Vanguard era to experiment with Abstract art early on. During this time, Riveron was also an illustrator for a number of newspapers based in Cuba and the New Yorker in the United States. Even more prestigious was Riveron’s work in Hollywood as an illustrator and storyboard developer for Walt Disney Pictures in 1938.
Enchanted Forest Series, 1982
Horas del Viajero, 1982
Luna de Plata, 1980
Noc-a-tee, 1970
Roosevelt charicature, 1940
In the 1940s, Riveron switched his focus to fine art, establishing a career as a painter and sculptor. Riveron also served as a studio press correspondent for the magazine Cine Mundial and owned an art gift shop in La Brea, California.
Sensemaya, 1988
Cartoon self-portrait
Throughout his life, Riveron kept a close friendship with fellow Cuban painter Mario Carreño. While Riveron lived in the United States they corresponded through letters, which discuss intimate details of their lives and artistic developments.
Untitled, copper nudes on aluminum, 1960
Venus de Plata, 1985
From 1930 until his death in 1998, Riveron travelled and worked in the United States. New York and Hollywood were major landing points, as well as Wichita, Kansas. Riveron taught art in Wichita from 1944 to 1964. The University maintains a gallery of Riveron’s work to this day.
Xecotcovah
Today, Riveron is remembered as a father of Cuban art. Riveron’s paintings, letters and illustrations are housed worldwide, including extensive collections across the United States. Riveron’s daughter, Patricia Riveron Lee, went on to become a successful jewelry designer, carrying her father’s legacy. Do you think you own a piece by Enrique Riveron? Contact us. We are the Riveron experts.
