Nelson Domínguez Cedeño

Outstanding artist in plastic arts who works in painting, engraving, ceramics, and sculpture.

He was born in Baire, Santiago de Cuba, and lives and works in Havana. He grew up in the Sierra Maestra, where he remained until age seven. His father worked on a farm where he had direct contact with nature. Later they moved to another part of the mountains, to the Aguacate farm, around the "Sierrita," on the hillside of the province as if heading toward Santo Domingo. There, livestock was the main focus.

The farm had two houses, one served as a transit camp for the Rebel Army, and they entrusted his father with cattle to care for. When troops passed through they would slaughter them. There he met Fidel, saw him for the first time when he was trying to communicate by radio with someone and the equipment was broken. He also met Father Sardiña and Camilo, who passed through his house before marching in the Invasion of the West. Among Camilo's men was William Gálvez, who told one of his younger sisters << when we triumph I am going to send for you to come to Havana to study>> William kept his word. His sister studied in the schools of Ana Betancourt. His older brother joined the Rebel Army.

Studies he pursued
The first change he noticed after the Triumph of the Revolution was the opening of a small school in Aguacate and the news that the "School City" was being built, which would bear the name of Camilo Cienfuegos. At first they chose one child from each family to go to the "School City" in Mercedes and it was his turn, his father had been providing him with private tutoring until then. There he played soccer and was very good, according to the Ecuadorian coach who had come to Cuba to support the Revolution, Ángel Maldonado, who encouraged him to continue with that sport.

The way to continue with soccer was by opting for a scholarship they offered to train as technicians in Sports Medicine in the German Democratic Republic. But Hurricane Flora came and a landslide from the mountain buried the family of a classmate named Mateo.

Sidroc Ramos, captain and director of the school, spoke with Nelson to tell him that the best thing for this boy was to study in Germany and asked him to support for a year as a teacher in sixth-grade classrooms –Sidroc told him- <>, he had realized that Nelson had artistic vocation. Also present in the capacity of an internationalist, was a Chilean professor, Hugo Jaramillo, who had graduated from the art school in his country. The works made by the "School City" students are preserved in the archives of the National Library.

Jaramillo taught him to draw and to model along with the others who studied there. In competitions organized at the school, Nelson was among those who won prizes. He did everything; if they put on a dance, he danced, if it was a play, he acted, even in music, where Nelson studied accordion. Sidroc kept his word.

In 1965 he took the entrance exams at the National School of Art (ENA) and was accepted. He was at a disadvantage compared to several of his classmates, many of whom were graduated Art Instructors. He struggled through the first year, in the second year he began to improve but it wasn't until the fourth year that he felt equal to the others. By the fifth year he ranked among the best students along with Pedro Pablo Oliva and Flora Fong.

Work and artistic life
Upon completing his studies, he remained as a professor at the school. He faced students with very strong personalities such as Zaida del Río, Rogelio López Marín (Gory), and Flavio Garciandía, to name a few. He was in teaching at the National School of Art until 1980 and then six more years at the Higher Institute of Art (ISA) and has been part of the faculty of the Engraving specialty in that institution, of which he is a Consulting Professor and holder of the Diploma of Artistic Merit.

He is a member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba and the International Association of Plastic Arts. As an artist, he has never made concessions, he has put on canvas stone and paper what he has wanted and felt. His experiences and identity come to the surface. He cannot conceive of himself without his land, without his children, without the great and small things of his homeland, Cuba.

When he travels to other countries he carries that burden within him and believes that to a great extent all of this integrates his work. He has more than one hundred personal exhibitions, participations in collective exhibitions inside and outside Cuba, and figures in public and private collections in Japan, the United States, Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Panama, Holland, Sweden, and in various Cuban institutions. The importance in his case lies in the poetic conviction that radiates from his pieces and the authenticity with which he approaches the creative act.

Writings about Nelson Domínguez
Nelson Domínguez. The Silence of the Earth. (fragment)

By: Tony Piñera

When, after having stopped looking at the works of Nelson Domínguez, one stands before them again, an unmistakable impression warns that one is facing something original and even originary. Something irreducible, beyond what seems to matter in art: style.

Self-absorption, profound daydream of matter, resistance. And if one looks through so many accomplishments and attempts, over that abyss that separates the present moment from everything before, resistance acquires a metaphysical character that borders on the mystical: it is affirmative survival that warns that the final word has not been spoken. And that, despite all the plastic revelations, something permanent remains in a sacred secret, laden with silence. It is the silence of the earth, of the Cuban landscape, which the artist knows to perfection.

By: Roberto Cossío

"In his large-format canvases we perceive the exquisite magic of color and the strange sensuality of Afro-Cuban religiosity that have made him worthy of the broadest national and international recognition."

Personal Exhibitions
2015 Nelson Domínguez, Galería Los Oficios, Collateral to the XII Havana Biennial.

2013 Nelson Domínguez: engravings and originals on canvas and manufactured paper, Galería Mégalo, Canberra.

2010 The Havana Cigar in art, XII Havana Festival, Palace of Conventions, Havana.

2009 Encuentro, Art Gallery Antografía of the Provincial Council of Plastic Arts, Guantánamo, Cuba.

2008 From Cuba, Ho Chi Minh City Museum, Vietnam.

2007 Nelson Domínguez: graphic work, Galería La Acacia, Havana. Nelson: wood and paper, National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana.

2006

Figura.jpg
Personal Exhibition Nelson Domínguez. Galería La Oficina, Las Terrazas Tourism Complex, Pinar del Río, Cuba.
2005

Nelson in Güines. Güines Universal Gallery of Arts, Havana, Cuba.
Exhibition at the Prefect's Office of Fukushima, Naka-dori region, Japan.
Nelson Domínguez creates works with washi paper from 1300. Tokushima, Japan. 2004
Exhibition at City Art Gallery. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Nelson Domínguez. Galería Entre Aguas, Madrid, Spain.
2003

Nelson Domínguez. Museum of the City of Havana, Cuba.
Engraving Dreams. *Provincial Council of Plastic Arts of Las Tunas, Cuba.
Drawings and Engravings. Nelson Domínguez, Galería Museo del Ron, Havana Club, Havana, Cuba.
Galería Promo-Arte, Tokyo, Japan.
Exhibition USM. University, Penang, Malaysia.
Exhibition at Townhouse Gallery. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2002

Galería Hoshigaoka Art Village, Kochi, Japan.
Exhibition Japan. Galería Promo-Arte, Tokyo, Japan.
Exhibition Japan. Museo Miura Village, Matsuyama, Japan.
2001

Monte Barreto Exhibition. 3rd and 72, Playa, Havana, Cuba.
Nelson Domínguez in Small Space. CNAP, Havana, Cuba.
Graphics and More. Galería ICAIC, Havana, Cuba.
1998 Commemorative Exhibition 100 Years of Japanese Immigration to Cuba, Galería Promoarte, Tokyo There are Forces Everywhere, Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana.


1997 Painting, Sculpture and Fans, Galería Grace-Lawrence, Boca Ratón, U.S.A.

1991 Painting. Polyforum Siqueiros, Chamber of Commerce, Mexico, D.F. Cuban Painting, Galería Gabriel Flores, University of Guadalajara, Mexico. The Cuban Revolution, El Juglar Cultural Center, Mexico, D.F.


1989 Drawings and Illustrations, International Graphic Arts Center, Venice. Recent Painting, Galería Espacio Abierto, Havana. Amicizia, Literary Café, Milan, Italy.

1983 Retrospective (10 years of professional work). Painting, drawing, engraving and ceramics, National Museum of Fine Arts.


1976 Engravings, Galería Habana, Havana.

Group Exhibitions
2006

Inner Island. Galería Havana Club, Havana, Cuba.
VIII Edition of the Exhibition of Contemporary Cuban Art. Galería del Takanawa, Kummin, Tokyo, Japan.
Instruction Manual. IX Havana Biennial, CENCREM, Havana, Cuba.
Rise or Decline of Cuban Art. IX Havana Biennial, National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba.
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5 x 5 La Jiribilla in the Brush. 25 Cuban Artists Paint their Jiribilla, José Martí Memorial, Havana, Cuba.
2005

XI Salon of Erotic Art. Galería Fayad Jamís, Havana, Cuba.
Retrospective La Vasija. XV Anniversary of the Museum of Ceramics, Convent of San Francisco de Asís, Havana, Cuba.
ARCO 2005 International Fair. Madrid, Spain.
Contemporary Cuban Art. The Trades of Old Havana, Galería BIONDETTA, Teatro Alcázar. Madrid, Spain.
Masters of Contemporary Cuban Art: a complicit look. Cornell Museum of Art History in Boca Ratón, United States of America.
Exhibition of Nelson Domínguez and Ajito Wakita. Karuizawa, Province of Pagano, Japan.
Four Connections. Galería Villa Manuela, UNEAC, Havana, Cuba.
Incisions. Galería La Siempre Habana, Mexico City.
Cuban Prints. Massachusetts College of Art Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Cuban Prints. Fine Arts Work Center Princeton, Massachusetts, USA
2004

ARCO 2004 International Fair. Madrid, Spain.
Multiple Traces in Cuban Art. Galería Promo-Arte, Tokyo, Japan.
New Routes of Cuban Art. National Gallery of Malaysia.
Contemporary Cuban Art. Grand Arch of Defense, Paris, France.
Contemporary Printmaking in Cuba. Cuban Art Space, New York, USA.
Deus Verus Verus Homo. Seminary San Carlos and San Ambrosio, Havana, Cuba.
Cuban Engravers. House of Culture of Latin America, Brasilia DF, Brazil.
Exhibition of engravings by Cuban artists. Berkshire Community College, USA.
Exhibition of drawings and engravings: Aijiro Wakita and Nelson Domínguez. Galería Gan, Tokyo, Japan.
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Interior Look at 35 Cuban Artists, by Italian photographer Alfredo Cannatello. Convent of San Francisco de Asís, Havana, Cuba.
Tribute to Alejo Carpentier. Galería Raúl Martínez, Havana, Cuba.
Cuban Engravings and Crafts. Artisanal Complex of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Thirteen Cuban Painters Today. Galería Mediterrania, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
The Logic of Difference. Galería Havana Club, Havana, Cuba.
Cuban Painting Salon. Municipal Museum of Modern Art, Cuenca, Ecuador.
Cuban Prints. Koussevitzky Art Gallery Berkshire Community College Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA.
Cuban Prints. Benson Hall Gallery Rhode Island School of Design Providence, Rhode Island, USA
2003

Ora Pro Nobis. Seminary San Carlos and Casa de la Obrapía, Havana, Cuba.
Tribute to Terry Fox. Model of Havana, Havana, Cuba.
Art I am Among the Arts. Collective exhibition for the 150th anniversary of the birth of José Martí, Traveling Exhibition. Havana, Cuba.
Nelson Domínguez: A Cuban Master and Jean-Pierre Chardat: Cinéma Privé. SOHO Gallery, Los Angeles, USA.
Contemporary Graphic Workshop. Galería 23 y 12, Havana, Cuba.
Festival of Trades. Galería La Acacia, City of Havana, Cuba.
31 Contemporary Cuban Artists in Chile. Galería de BordeRío, Santiago de Chile.
2002

I Accept Seductions. Eighth Salon of Erotic Art. Galería Mariano Rodríguez, Havana, Cuba.
IV Havana Cigar Festival (Auction). Habanos S.A. Havana, Cuba.
Vasija Biennial. National Museum Castillo de la Real Fuerza, Havana, Cuba.
Song to My City. House of Poetry, City of Havana, Cuba.
Lam: his ceramic surroundings. National Museum Castillo de la Real Fuerza, Havana, Cuba.
Friendly Confluences. Galería Mariano Rodríguez, Havana, Cuba.
2001

Cuban Art Today. Galería Villa Streccins, Germany
Reunion. Galería Domingo Ravenet, Havana, Cuba.
Thirty Years Later. Galería Fayad Jamís, Havana, Cuba.
Each One is Each One (painters from Santiago de Cuba). Provincial Center of Plastic Arts and Design, Havana, Cuba.
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Expo Natura. Galería Mariano Rodríguez, Havana, Cuba.
Pauyet- Nelson III Edition. Galería Los Oficios, Havana, Cuba.
III Identity Biennial. House of Poetry, Havana, Cuba.
EICTV: Take 15, Cuban Painting. Action. ICAIC Cultural Center,
Havana, Cuba.
VI Ceramic Biennial. National Museum Castillo de la Real Fuerza, Havana, Cuba. 2000
The Violent Music of Freedom. IX International Book Fair, Galería Los Oficios, Havana, Cuba.
Exhibition of Cuban Art Here and Now. Temporary Room, José Martí Memorial, Havana, Cuba.
Without End Without Restraint Without Measure. Center for the Development of Visual Arts, Havana, Cuba.
International Exhibition of Contemporary Art. Marbella, Spain.
Development and Currents of Contemporary Cuban Plastic Arts. National Bank Museum of Panama.
Memories in Three Times. Castillo de la Real Fuerza, Havana, Cuba.
1999

Dance My Son, Galería La Acacia, Havana.
Fidel's Birthday, Galería Guayasamín, Havana.
Cuba Toward a New Millennium, Galería A & b, Panama City.
Fabricated Dreams III. The Light of the Alligator, Contemporary Art Gallery, Córdoba, Argentina.
Exhibition of Six Cuban Painters, Galería Arte Actual, La Dehesa, Santiago de Chile.
Exhibition Focal Points of Contemporary Plastic Arts in the World, Japan.
1987

ARCO 87, Galería Quintero, Madrid.
Eighth San Juan Biennial, Puerto Rico.
Engraving Encounter, National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana.
1986

Seventh San Juan Biennial in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Art with a Smile, Italy.
Day of Cuban Culture in Algiers, Algeria.
1985

Cuban Engravings, Provincial Center of Plastic Arts and Design, Havana.
French Young Painting Salon at Grand Palais, Paris.
1980

Cuban Plastic Arts, Galería L, Havana.
International Engraving Biennial, Kraków, Poland.
1975

Cuban Art. From the Colony to Our Days, Museum of Modern Art, Mexico D.F.
Awards
Second Prize in Painting and Engraving. First Youth Salon, City of Havana, Cuba.
First Prize in Painting and Engraving. Second Youth Salon, City of Havana, Cuba.
Second Prize in Painting and Engraving. Third Youth Salon, City of Havana, Cuba.
Prize in Linography. First Victor Manuel Engraving Triennial, City of Havana, Cuba.
Prize in Engraving. July 26 Salon of the FAR, National Museum of Fine Arts, City of Havana, Cuba.
First Prize in Painting and Engraving. First Teachers' Salon, City of Havana, Cuba
Second Prize in Painting and Engraving (Woodcut). Second Teachers' Salon, City of Havana, Cuba.
Second Prize in Painting and Engraving. III Teachers' Salon, City of Havana, Cuba.
First Prize in Painting and First Mention in Engraving. July 26 Salon, City of Havana, Cuba.
First Prize in Woodcut. Second Engraving Salon, City of Havana, Cuba.
Mention in Woodcut and Linoleum. III Engraving Salon.
Mention in Engraving. National Salon of Painting, Sculpture and Engraving.
National Prize. International Painting Festival. Cagnes-sur-mer, France.
Grand Prix. International Biennial of Wood Engraving, Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia.
Painting Prize. Triennial of Committed Realist Art. Sofia, Bulgaria.
Prize. Alejo Carpentier Cultural Promotion Center, City of Havana, Cuba.
III Honorable Mention. First International Graphic Arts Exhibition, Quito, Ecuador.
Special Prize of the Society of Formal Arts of Kuwait. Second Havana Biennial, City of Havana, Cuba.
Prize. Jaime Guasch Biennial, Barcelona, Spain.
Honor Prize. Indian Graphics Biennial.
Honorable Mention. First Biennial of Latin American and Caribbean Engraving, Barranquilla, Colombia.
Third Prize. XVI Tenri Biennial, Japan.
Prize for Scientific Excellence. IV Ibero-American Congress on Research in Cellulose Paper. Santiago and Valdivia, Chile.
Cultural Identity Prize in Plastic Arts Amelia Peláez. Faculty of Law. University of Havana.
National Prize in Plastic Arts awarded by the National Council of Plastic Arts of Cuba, Havana.
Main National and International Honors
Order for National Culture.
Alejo Carpentier Order.
Tropical Gitana Decoration. Popular Power of the Province of the City of Havana.
Illustrious Member of Cojímar. Popular Power of Cojímar.
José María Heredia Plaque. Province of Santiago de Cuba.
Axe of Holguín. Province of Holguín.
Raúl Gómez García Medal.
Medal and Order of Honor from the Fuji Museum, Tokyo, Japan.
Honorary Member of the Association of Teachers of Cuba.
Consulting Professor and Holder of the Diploma of Artistic Merit of the Higher Institute of Art (ISA) Cuba.
Replica of the Machete of Major General Serafín Sánchez Valdivia,
the highest distinction of the Provincial Assembly of the People's Power in Sancti Spíritus.
Works in Collections
Private
Cuba, Japan, Mexico, France, United States, England, Holland, India, Malaysia, Panama, Brazil, Colombia.
Collection of the Queen of Holland.
Steven Spielberg Collection.
Robert Redford Collection.
Liv Ullman Collection.
Institutional
State Council of the Republic of Cuba.
Ministry of Culture of Cuba, Cuba.
National Museum of Fine Arts, Cuba.
Galería Los Oficios, Havana, Cuba.
Museum of Ceramics Castillo de la Real Fuerza, Cuba.
Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry, Cuba.
Nicolás Guillén Foundation.
Cuban Book Institute, Cuba.
Museum of Dance of Cuba.
Alejo Carpentier Foundation, Cuba.
José Martí Memorial Collection.
Presidential House Los Pinos, Mexico.
Presidential House of Guatemala.
Collection Imperial Palace of Japan.
Meguro Museum, Japan.
Miura Matsuyama Museum, Japan.
Soka Daiká Museum, Fuji, Tokyo, Japan.
Cornell University Museum, United States.
Herbeat F. Johnson Art Museum, United States.
Cuban Studies Centers, New York.
La Tertulia Museum, Cali, Colombia.
Latin American Museum, J. Cortázar, Managua, Nicaragua.