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| ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964): Selections |
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In 1964, renowned Dutch art critic Hans Redeker
commented referring to Acosta Leon’s talent:
“He carries within all the traits that belong to
the greats of today and the celebrities of tomorrow.”
Painting and surviving on art alone is an enormous
challenge for most of the artists in the world. In the case
of the gifted master painter, for all his struggles, that
goal was accomplished. Angel Acosta León is internationally
recognized as a surrealist artist with great sensibility
and an arduous passion for painting. He spent a great part
of his life battling his fears, his obsessions, all the
while, yearning for recognition as a creator. The artist
died too young, when he was only thirty four.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
The Vessel
(El Buque), 1964
oil on canvas
31 x 58 inches
Illustrated in IMPORTANT CUBAN
ARTWORKS, Volume Twenty-One,
page 76.
Provenance:
Eduardo Uhart, who acquired from
Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam, Holland;
Private collection, Miami Beach, FL.
This painting was exhibited at
Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam, Holland,
1964, listed. Also exhibited at
Galerie du Dragon, Paris France,
July 1990, and illustrated in color
in the corresponding catalog.
Exhibited at the Museo Nacional de
Bellas Artes, Santiago de Chile,
August, 1990, and illustrated in color
in the correspondent catalog.
Exhibited at the Museo Nacional de
Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba, 1991,
and illustrated in color in the
correspondent catalog.
Exhibited in Museum Quality Artworks
in Exhibition at Cernuda Arte: Angel
Acosta León, The Vessel (El Buque), 1964,
Cernuda Arte, Coral Gables, Florida,
October, 2015, and illustrated digitally
on cernudaarte.com, exhibitions.
Exhibited in Art Wynwood Fair,
Wynwood, Miami, Florida,
February, 2020.
Exhibited in Art Miami Fair,
Miami, Florida, December, 2024.
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A taciturn and depressive person, Acosta León was
known to avoid contact with people for days at a time,
and dedicated long hours of his free time to painting
–especially sleepless nocturnal hours. His renditions,
although not totally free of narrative, were more
focused on the inherent power of color, light and
form to create oneiric and desolate atmospheres.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
The Great Machine
(La Gran Maquinaria), ca. 1964
mixed media on wood
28 x 87 inches
signed on front; also signed,
and titled on reverse.
To be illustrated in the upcoming
catalog IMPORTANT CUBAN ARTWORKS,
Volume Twenty-Two, Cernuda Arte,
Coral Gables, Florida, December 2026.
Provenance:
Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam;
Private Collection, Netherlands.
Exhibited in Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam,
where the artist held a solo exhibition
in 1964, and appears listed in a
corresponding publication, #6.
Illustrated in the 1968 issue of
the Dutch magazine Museumtijdschrift.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Puppet on Wheels
(Títere Sobre Ruedas), ca 1960
mixed media on paper
laid down on board
5 ½ x 4 ⅛ inches
Illustrated in the book Angel Acosta León
and His Magic, Rosa Chediak, Ph.D., 2013,
page 150.
This painting is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity signed
by Eugenia Acosta León, sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Coffee Maker of a Friend
(Cafetera de un-Amigo), 1960
ink on paper laid down on board
6 x 4 ¾ inches
Illustrated in IMPORTANT CUBAN
ARTWORKS, Volume Fifteen, page 99.
Illustrated in the book Angel Acosta León
and His Magic, Rosa Chediak, Ph.D., 2013,
page 171.
This artwork is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity
signed by Eugenia Antonia Acosta León,
sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Untitled [Fish]
(Sin Título [Pescado]), 1964
mixed media on cardboard
12 ¾ x 19 ½ inches
Illustrated in IMPORTANT CUBAN
ARTWORKS, Volume Sixteen,
page 74.
Exhibited in A Group Show of Cuban
Art Masters, Cernuda Arte, Coral Gables,
Florida, May - July 2018, and illustrated
digitally on cernudaarte.com, exhibitions
This work is illustrated in the book
Cuban Art, Past and Present, Volume 1,
Frank Padrón, 2016, page 118.
It is accompanied by a Certificate of
Authenticity signed by José Veigas and
Ramon Vázquez Díaz, dated March 28, 2015.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Figure
(Figura), ca 1960
ink on paper laid down on board
8 ⅛ x 5 ¼ inches
Illustrated in the book Angel Acosta León
and His Magic, Rosa Chediak, Ph.D., 2013,
page 114.
This painting is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity signed
by Eugenia Acosta León, sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Presence and Memory
(Presencia y Memoria), ca 1963
graphite on heavy paper
laid down on board
4 x 5 ⅜ inches
Illustrated in the book Angel Acosta León
and His Magic, Rosa Chediak, Ph.D., 2013,
page 152.
This painting is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity signed
by Eugenia Acosta León, sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Bird
(Pájaro), 1963
mixed media on heavy paper
laid down on board
15 ¼ x 22 ¾ inches
Illustrated in IMPORTANT CUBAN
ARTWORKS, Volume Nineteen,
page 70.
Provenance:
Hauff & Auvermann, Berlin, Germany;
Galería de la Mano, Madrid, Spain.
Exhibited in BLACK ART MATTERS: 13 Modern
and Contemporary Afro-Cuban Masters,
Cernuda Arte, Coral Gables, FL,
June – Dec. 2020, and illustrated digitally
on cernudaarte.com, exhibitions.
Exhibited in Important Modern Masters,
Cernuda Arte, Coral Gables, FL,
Apr. – Sep. 2023, and illustrated digitally
on cernudaarte.com, exhibitions.
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The artist painted in free form manner what he saw and crafted
his artwork in an array of mediums: canvas, paper, cardboard,
plywood, masonite, photo paper, sheets of newspapers and
magazines. He rendered self-portraits, portraits of friends,
landscapes, rooftops, parks, and ordinary objects (almost
always worn or damaged), such as: coffee machines, coffee
sieves, wheels, sugar cane juice extractors, carriages, ships,
circus tents, banners, glass bottles, grandfather clocks, rock
candy, palm trees, carts, tractors, cranes, bicycles, rickety
iron beds, marionettes, toys, and all sort of amorphous or
metamorphic figures.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Vessel
(Nave), ca 1962
mixed media on paper
laid down on board
5 ¼ x 8 ¼ inches
Illustrated in IMPORTANT CUBAN
ARTWORKS, Volume Twelve,
page 90.
Exhibited in BLACK ART MATTERS:
13 Modern and Contemporary Afro-Cuban
Masters, Cernuda Arte, Coral Gables, FL,
June – December 2020, and illustrated
digitally on cernudaarte.com, exhibitions.
Illustrated in the book Angel Acosta León
and His Magic, Rosa Chediak, Ph.D., 2013,
page 26.
This painting is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity signed
by Eugenia Acosta León, sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Coffeepot on Wheels
(Cafetera Rodante), 1963
mixed media on paper
laid down on board
5 ½ x 4 inches
Illustrated in IMPORTANT CUBAN
ARTWORKS, Volume Twelve,
page 92.
Exhibited in A Surrealist Century /
Un Siglo Surrealista, Cernuda Arte,
Coral Gables, FL, Aug. – Nov. 2024,
and illustrated digitally on
cernudaarte.com, exhibitions.
Illustrated in the book, Angel Acosta León
and His Magic, by Dr. Rosa A. Chediak,
page 22.
This artwork is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity signed
by Eugenia Antonia Acosta León,
sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Coffee Maker
(Cafetera), ca 1962
ink on paper laid down on board
3 ¼ x 2 ¾ inches
Illustrated in IMPORTANT CUBAN
ARTWORKS, Volume Fifteen,
page 98.
Exhibited in A Group Show of Cuban
Art Masters, Cernuda Arte, Coral Gables,
Florida, May – July 2018, and illustrated
digitally on cernudaarte.com, exhibitions.
Illustrated in the book Angel Acosta León
and His Magic, Rosa Chediak, Ph.D., 2013,
page 38.
This painting is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity signed
by Eugenia Acosta León, sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Medusa
(Medusa), 1964
mixed media on paper
laid down on board
5 ¼ x 4 inches
Illustrated in IMPORTANT CUBAN
ARTWORKS, Volume Twelve,
page 94.
Illustrated in the book Angel Acosta León
and His Magic, Rosa Chediak, Ph.D., 2013,
page 62.
This painting is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity signed
by Eugenia Acosta León, sister of the artist.
The artist had important expositions in the following prestigious
galleries: Galerie Charpentier, Paris; Galerie Du Dragon, Paris;
Galerie D’Eendt, Amsterdam; Galerie Maya, Brussels, and in
Scheidam Gallery, Rotterdam, with three distinguished artists:
Yves Tanguy, Horst Antes, and Roberto Matta, who befriended
Acosta León and was very supportive of his art.
In December of 1964, as the ship on which he traveled back to
Cuba approached the island, Acosta León committed suicide by
jumping over the vessel’s railing. In the years since his passing,
the artist’s work has been exhibited at several distinguished
international institutions of the arts, including the National
Museum of Fine Arts in Havana; Cuban Museum of Arts and
Culture, Miami; National Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago, Chile;
National Institute of Fine Arts, Mexico City; Palace of Culture,
Warsaw; Ernst Museum, Budapest; Museum of Modern Art,
Mexico City;
Musée d’art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris;
Signs Gallery,
New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Panama
City, Panama; Bacardí Art Gallery, Miami; Moderna Museet
Modern Art Museum, Stockholm; and the Instituto Italo-Latino
Americano,
Rome; among others.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Walker
(Caminante), 1960
ink on heavy paper laid down on board
4 x 4 inches
Illustrated in the book Angel Acosta Leon
and His Magic, Rosa Chediak,
Ph.D., 2013, page 63.
This artwork is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity signed
by Eugenia Antonia Acosta Leon,
sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
A Remembrance Awakens
(Despierta un Recuerdo), 1963
ink on paper laid down on board
3 ⅜ x 2 ¾ inches
lllustrated in IMPORTANT CUBAN
ARTWORKS, Volume Fifteen,
page 98.
Illustrated in the book
Angel Acosta Leon and His Magic,
Rosa Chediak, Ph.D., 2013, page 130.
This artwork is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity signed
by Eugenia Antonia Acosta Leon,
sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Face of a Young Lady
(Rostro de Joven), ca 1960
ink on paper
8 ¼ x 5 ¼ inches
Illustrated in the book
Angel Acosta León and His Magic,
Rosa Chediak, Ph.D., 2013, page 60.
This artwork is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity
signed by Eugenia Antonia Acosta León,
sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Puppet
(Marioneta), ca 1962
mixed media on heavy paper
8 ¼ x 5 ¼ inches
Illustrated in the book Angel Acosta León
and His Magic, Rosa Chediak, Ph.D.,
2013, page 100.
This artwork is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity
signed by Eugenia Antonia Acosta León,
sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Tower on Wheels
(Torre en Ruedas), ca 1962
ink on paper
7 ¼ x 5 inches
Illustrated in the book Angel Acosta León
and His Magic, Rosa Chediak, Ph.D.,
2013, page 92.
This artwork is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity
signed by Eugenia Antonia Acosta León,
sister of the artist.
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ANGEL ACOSTA LEÓN (1930 – 1964)
Rolling Animal
(Animal Rodante), ca 1960
ink on heavy paper
5 ¾ x 7 ½ inches
Illustrated in the book Angel Acosta León
and His Magic, Rosa Chediak, Ph.D.,
2013, page 179.
This artwork is accompanied by a
Photo-Certificate of Authenticity
signed by Eugenia Antonia Acosta León,
sister of the artist.
The celebrated 20th century writer and critic, Severo
Sarduy wrote in 1990: "Acosta León's paintings seem to
screech, in delirious rumors or tantalizing sounds of
chirurgical instruments, where the wheels are those
of a dissecting car; with the sinister, aseptic
brilliance of a morgue."
To this one can add what Aristotle once said,
“No great genius has ever existed without a
touch of madness.”
NERCYS CERNUDA
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