Agustín Cárdenas (1927 - 2001)

Agustín Cárdenas was an Afro-Cuban sculptor best known for his organic, sinuous forms in both sculptures and drawings, blending Surrealist ideals with African aesthetics. A descendant of Senegalese and Congolese slaves, Cárdenas was born in an infamous slave port and sugar plantation in Cuba. His artistic career began in Havana, as he studied at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro under one of Cuba’s great sculptors, Juan José Sicre. In 1955, Cárdenas moved to Paris and joined the Surrealist movement, where he befriended artists Constantin Brâncuşi, Salvador Dalí, and André Breton. It was in Paris, Cardenas understanded Surrealism as an artistic language to break away from constrains and allows for personal discovery, and at the same time to directly experience and feel as a black man. His style, recognized by undulating forms and elongated silhouettes, is a fusion of his artistic community, the cultural atmosphere of the Pan-African Movement in Paris, and aspects of African heritage as seen in Dogon totems. Cardenas’s practice can be divided into roughly three periods, where in each period, he utilized different materials for various formations, showcasing Cardenas’s mastery of techniques. Cárdenas’ work exhibited internationally and was well-received, earning several prestigious awards: the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, 1976 and the Premio Nacional de Artes Plásticas from the Cuban Ministry of Culture, 1995.

For many years, Cárdenas lived and worked in Meudon-Bellevue and at his studio in Nogent-sur-Marne, France. He produced work in Canada, Austria, Japan, Israel, Korea, and Carrara, Italy where his acclaimed marble pieces were sculpted. Cárdenas participated in over a hundred group exhibitions and was the focus of over forty monographic exhibitions. His works are included in many permanent collections around the world, including: the Centre National des Arts du Cirque, Paris, France, Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Paris, France, Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air, Paris, France, Musée d’Art et d’Industrie, Saint-Étienne, France, Hakone Open-Air Museum, Hakone, Japan, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Argel, Algeria; Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas, Venezuela, Kendall Art Center, Miami, Florida, and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana in Havana, Cuba. The artist passed away in Havana, Cuba in 2001.

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A modest, yet intriguing bronze, Vertical Form (1983), is a particularly exquisite work by Agustín Cárdenas. The perforations throughout the form and the whittling and widening of the sculpture’s extremities beckon fascination and investigation. Rich brown patina glazes this solid yet elegant bronze sculpture adding a richness and smoothness only Cárdenas could accomplish. The verticality of the work as it erupts from its marble base, as well as the sumptuous feeling that it evokes distinguishes this sculpture as a profound example of the artist's compelling style.

Provenance:

Private Collection; Paris, France

Exhibition History:

Cardenas: Sculptures, 10 March - 10 April 1999. Galerie Trigano, Paris, France

Wifredo Lam + Agustin Cardenas, 9 September - 5 November 2021. Bill Hodges Gallery, New York, NY

Literature:

Bill Hodges Gallery. Wifredo Lam + Agustin Cardenas. New York, 2021. p. 32

Please note: this work is mis-dated 1956 in Wifredo Lam + Agustín Cárdenas.

Cárdenas

Vertical Form, 1983

Cast Bronze with Brown Patina on Marble Base 15 ½ x 3 ½ x 3 ½ in. (39.4 x 8.9 x 8.9 cm)

Base: 1 ⅝ x 3 ½ x 3 ¾ in. (4.1 x 8.9 x 9.5 cm)

Total: 17 ⅛ x 3 ½ x 3 ¾ in. (43.5 x 8.9 x 9.5 cm)

Signed and Numbered on Bottom Left: Agustin C 3/8

Stamped on Front: Foundry Oceane