Carlos Alfonzo
Period: Contemporary
1950 - 1991

Nine Figures and Palm Trees
(Nueve Figuras y Palmas), 1976
mixed media on heavy paper laid down on board
14 3/4 x 24 3/4 inches

Born in Havana, Cuba, Carlos Alfonzo began his formal art education at the School of San Alejandro, and later graduated from the University of Havana in 1977. After completing his studies at the university, he also taught art and exhibited in Cuba in spite of difficult conditions at the time. In 1980, Alfonzo fled from Cuba to Key West, Florida, during the Mariel boatlift. He eventually moved to Miami and developed a following in the local and national art scene. The artist worked with painting, sculpture, drawing, and ceramics, focusing his art mainly on the issues of oppression, exile, and the struggle for personal survival. In 1991, at age 40, the artist died of AIDS-related complications.

Works by Carlos Alfonzo have been collected by the Whitney Museum of American Art and Smithsonian Institution, as well as several other internationally recognized institutions.