Emilio Sánchez Font

Emilio Sánchez was born in Camagüey, Cuba in 1921. He began his artistic training in the United States at the Art Students League in 1944 when he moved to New York City where he lived until his death in 1999. He lived in Havana between 1932 and 1952 and in New York, United States from 1952. He worked in painting, printmaking, and drawing. In the nineteen forties he studied at Columbia University, at the Art Students League of New York and at Yale University (B.A.), New Haven, Connecticut, all of it in the U.S.A.

However, it was in Cuba where he became fascinated by the interplay of light and shadow on colored forms, which became a dominant characteristic of his works. His earliest works from the 1950s are stylized and figurative themes such as portraits of friends and models, views of New York and tropical landscapes.

In the 1960s, his works became significantly more abstract, although always maintaining a strong sense of naturalism. It is during this decade that his work matured into an individual vision and when he began to develop his well-known paintings of houses and architectural themes.

These architectural works stand out for their simplified forms where all superficial details are eliminated. Stripped of their essence, these structures acquire a universal significance. Here he captured the effect of light on color, making it vibrant. Although his buildings often lack visible inhabitants, they have a strong living presence of their own.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he further explored architectural themes by traveling to countries around the Mediterranean. In Morocco, for example, he was impressed by the raw white vernacular buildings. He also produced streamlined geometric views of New York's skyscrapers. These architectural works probably come closest to the works of Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keeffe and Charles Sheeler in their abstracted quietude of the built environment.

In addition to his architectural works, Sánchez explored a variety of themes selected for their strong compositional value, such as still lifes of fruits and flowers, sailboats, clotheslines and sunsets over the Hudson River.

Unlike his linear representations of buildings, these other works demonstrate his versatility in painting looser amorphous forms. In the 1990s, Sánchez's attention focused more on urban scenes of storefronts, garages and New York skyscrapers.

An artist with an independent voice and international recognition, Sánchez has had more than sixty solo exhibitions and has been included in numerous group shows in museums and galleries in the United States, Latin America and Europe.

His art is well represented in public and private collections that include more than thirty museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Metropolitan Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He has also received prestigious awards such as first prize in the 1974 Biennial in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Among his solo exhibitions, notable is the one held in 1949 at the Joseph Luyber Gallery in New York. He also exhibited in 1964 at the Fortuny Gallery, Madrid, Spain. In 1971 he presented Emilio Sánchez. Lithographs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Caracas, Venezuela. Two years before his death, in 1997, he presented Emilio Sánchez. Recent Works. at Elite Fine Art, Coral Gables, Florida.

Sánchez was included in various group shows, among them the one held at Cork Street Gallery, London in 1956 called American Prints. In 1959 he participated in Annual Salon of painting, sculpture and printmaking, National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba. In 1978 he was invited to the International Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland. He was also present in 1997 showing his work in Breaking Barriers. Selections from the Museum of Art's Permanent Contemporary Cuban Collection. Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A.

His work is found in various collections around the world such as Anglo American Bank, U.S.A., IBM Corporation, U.S.A., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, U.S.A, National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba Museum of Modern Art, New York, U.S.A.

Some of Sánchez's works are found at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute in Utica, New York. The Institute has art collections from the nineteenth century to today, and most of the art in its collections is from the United States and Europe. They were part of an art exhibition in 2012 called "Enhancing a Legacy: Gifts, promised gifts and acquisitions in Honor of the Museum of Arts 75th Anniversary." More than one hundred works, including those by Sánchez, were donated to Munson-Williams-Proctor by friends of the museum for the anniversary.

Today, his works are not on display, but are kept in the museum's holdings. It is possible to view the collection with the museum's permission, and some classes of students from local educational institutions, such as Hamilton College, have viewed the collection.

The Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute's collection includes some examples of his lithography and painting pieces. There are also artist proofs and final editions that are available for public presentation.

Sánchez's works are inspired by his connections with Cuba, his native country, and New York, where he lived much of his life. Therefore, his works are a combination of these two influences, such as the bodegas in the city where Sánchez grew up. For the most part, the works in the Munson-Williams-Proctor collection, such as an edition of "New York on a Sunny Day," include lithographs and paintings that demonstrate Sánchez's characteristic style: straight and sharp lines, the contrast between light and shadow, and the use of bright colors.

These works can be described as a medium between the abstract and the concrete. His works, often urban landscapes, have abstract elements but still remain representational.

Awards

Throughout his life he was awarded on several occasions. Thus, in 1969 he was awarded the Bronze Medal at the Pennsylvania Academy Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of Art, Philadelphia. In 1970 he won the David Kaplan Acquisition Prize. Color Print Annual, New Jersey State Museum, New Jersey. He was also honored in 1974 with the Prize of the Third Biennial of San Juan of Latin American Printmaking, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The painter died in Warwick, New York, United States on July 7, 1999.