Fermín Pedroso Sotomayor

Born in Pedro Betancourt, Matanzas. Son of Baldomero Pedroso Pedroso, a native of La Habana and Basilia Sotomayor, born in Pedro Betancourt, he came from a working-class background. The family resided at the corner of Obispo and San Isidro streets (currently 30 at 33).

He completed his primary education at the Centro Escolar Varela in Pedro Betancourt. Interested in painting and sculpture from an early age, he began to practice these arts to help support his family economically. He also worked as an announcer at Radio Alonso, which had a small studio on Martí Street between Estrella and Santa Catalina (currently 24 between 25 and 27) in the Municipal Seat.

Through great effort, he managed to move to La Habana in the late 1940s and enrolled in the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts, where he graduated in the specialty of Sculpture. He then settled permanently in the Capital of the Republic.

On November 26, 1955, he married Mirtha Gastón Cárdenas. Three children were born from this union: Fermín, Rubén Darío, and Manuel.

During his working life in La Habana, Fermín Pedroso carried out important artistic work. His participation in the decoration of carnival floats during the carnival celebrations stands out.

He worked for UNESCO Magazine and in his final working years he served in the Office of the City Historian, linked to restoration projects in the Historic Center of Habana Vieja.

Among his main works are the paintings La Estrella Enana, located in the La Polar Vice-Ministry in La Habana and Fuego Capturado, which is housed in the Casa del Creador.

He participated in important events such as the Spanish Biennial in 1953 and the Third Hispano-American Biennial, in which he won an award. He visited several countries, including Mongolia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Austria, and Czechoslovakia.

Fermín Pedroso Sotomayor died in La Habana in 1995.