Reinerio Tamayo Fonseca

Plastic artist. Born in Niquero in the province of Granma.

His work has been exhibited in Europe, the United States and the Caribbean. He has designed posters for cinema, exhibitions and events as well as album covers for musical recordings. He has created illustrations for the magazines Albur, UNION and La Gaceta de Cuba and for the publication "Memoria de la postguerra", edited by Tania Bruguera.

He completed his primary and secondary studies at the Elementary School of Art, Isle of Youth, Cuba from 1980-1983. Subsequently he studied at the National School of Plastic Arts (ENA), Havana, until 1987 when he moved to the Higher Institute of Art (ISA), Havana, completing his higher education in 1992.

The artist's career has been marked by the relationship between canvases and the ball, with paintings that range from "painting to illustration, from humor to design, assisted by his solid academic training.

He is one of the most prominent and recognized artists within contemporary Cuban visual arts. He is part of the renowned generation of the 90s and devoted himself to painting as a creative medium, thus developing a body of work in which irony and sarcasm constitute privileged discursive strategies. He is undoubtedly the great humorist of current Cuban art, but it is not humor lacking in sense, but rather critical and sagacious satire, which has its roots in the reality of the island and in the daily life of its inhabitants. He is a postmodern author since he also uses pastiche alongside artistic languages from the Western past put into dialogue with a subversive and questioning nuance.

This Cuban plastic artist has not limited himself to painting as a means of creation, but has also addressed sculpture, design and drawing. Considered one of the greatest exponents of current art in our country, he has successfully contributed to the legitimization of humor within artistic production.

The technical virtuosity and the capacity with which he appropriates and profanes the different styles and icons of art history are a distinctive feature of Reinerio Tamayo's work. Humor is the substance of his discourse. Starting from parody, he ventures boldly into the social and cultural issues that interest him, such as consumerism, sexuality, gender, political cults and the myths of art.

The author adapts to what each painting demands of him. His palette is not rigid, but fluctuates between pop colors, sober tonalities and transparencies, according to the conception of each work. He uses classical painting, the avant-gardes, pop, comics, and Japanese art, and interprets them in such a way that he fuses his own aesthetic, which bears no mark of any author other than himself.

His images are mixtures of quotations that he recycles from universal art and makes speak with sympathy. Some of his most well-known works are Art Market, Dolmen, El Che, The Bitten Apple, The Scream, Still Life, Black on Black, The Machine of the Orient, Nude with Escort, Farewell to Arms, and Duchamp's Ark, among others.

Reinerio Tamayo has participated in numerous individual and collective exhibitions since 1987. He has exhibited his pieces in countries such as Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Spain, United States, Great Britain, Holland, Italy, Panama, Portugal, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. He was present at recognized national and international events such as TELARTE VII (Cuba), the Havana Biennials, the IV Salon of Contemporary Cuban Art (Cuba), International Contemporary Art Fair ARCO (Spain), the Valencia Art Fair (Spain), the VIII International Biennial of Humor (Great Britain), the IX International Biennial of Humor and Satire in Art (Gabrovo, Bulgaria), and the Florence Art Fair (Italy).

He has sold his work through programs such as the Spring Auction, organized in 1996 at the Meliá Cohíba Hotel (Havana, Cuba). Among the awards his work has received are the Grand Aesop Gold Prize at the IX International Biennial of Humor and Satire in Art (Gabrovo, Bulgaria, 1989), the First Melocatus Matanzanus Prize in Graphic Humor at the II Humor Festival Seña 90 held in Matanzas (Cuba, 1990), the EGREM award for best CD design (Cuba, 1994), and an Honorable Mention at the First National Salon of Contemporary Art (Havana, Cuba, 1995). Collections such as the Félix Daza Collection (Spain), the Enrico Garzaroli Collection (Italy), the Carlos Weil Collection (Panama), the La Merced-Caja Cultural Foundation (Spain), the House of Humor and Satire (Gabrovo, Bulgaria), the Van Reekum Museum (Apeldoorn, Holland), and the Humor Museum of San Antonio de los Baños (Havana, Cuba) hold his paintings, drawings and sculptures.

Individual Exhibitions
2017 Cuba in the ballpark, Galería Habana
2015 Sea Soul, Cayo Hueso Studios, Cayo Hueso
2012 Gangsters in Havana, Collateral to the 11th Havana Biennial, San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress, Havana
2011 The Compromised Land, Galería Habana, Havana
2009 November Station, Galería Pedro Torres, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
2008 My Magma!!! Galería Villa Manuela, Havana
2003. The Happy Caprices. Galería Pedro Torres, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain.
2001. Eden Hides in Paradise. Majadahonda Hall Cultural Center "Pablo de la Torriente Brau", Havana, Cuba.
2000. The Painter's Homeland. Galería Pedro Torres, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain.
The Great Game (with Rubén Alpízar), Collateral to the VII Havana Biennial. Galería 23 y 12, Havana, Cuba.
1997. The Grape of Cuba. Galería Pedro Torres, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain.
1996. Myths, Geniuses and Legends. Galería La Acacia, Havana, Cuba.
1994. The Hurricane's Family. Drawings and Paintings. Collateral to the V Havana Biennial, Galería Plaza Vieja, Cuban Cultural Assets Fund, Havana, Cuba.
1992. Endearing Museum of Passion. Graduation Thesis. Galería 23 y 12. Havana, Cuba.
The Orgasm Belongs to Whoever Works for It. II Iberoamerican Encounter of Comic Strip Artists. Galería "Juan David", Yara Cinematographic Cultural Center, Havana, Cuba.
1991. The World is Not Cruel. Collateral to the IV Havana Biennial, Galería "Juan David", Yara Cinematographic Cultural Center, Havana, Cuba.
1989. Reinerio Tamayo. Tele-Cristal, Holguín, Cuba; "Manuel Dositeo Aguilera" House of Culture. Encounter of Graphic Humorists, Banes, Holguín, Cuba.
1988. Gothic, Neogothic and Outlandish. Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center, Havana, Cuba.
1987. Penicillin for the Homesick and the Sad. Galería "Juan David". Yara Cinematographic Cultural Center. Havana, Cuba; Exhibition Hall of UNEAC, Nueva Gerona, Isle of Youth, Cuba.

Group Exhibitions
2008: GHOST POSTERS. 23 y 12 Gallery, Havana, Cuba.
POSTERS OF THE 90S: STRANGE JOURNEYS, COMMON DREAMS. Lewis and Clark College.
Portland, Oregon, USA.
2007: COSMOS. Galería Habana. Havana, Cuba.
WINGS FOR LIFE. Galería "Dr. Pedro M. Baeza Vega", University Extension,
Institute of Basic and Preclinical Sciences "Victoria de Girón". Havana, Cuba.
ON THE SAME STRING. XV International Biennial of Graphic Humor, San Antonio
de los Baños. Gallery of the Territorial Polygraphic and General Suárez, Plaza, Havana,
Cuba.
2006: TAXI-SHARK. Invited artist to 9th Havana Biennial. Havana, Cuba.
PLAY BALL. Galería Espacio Abierto, Revolución y Cultura. Havana, Cuba.
March-April.
INSTRUCTION MANUAL. (Collateral to 9th Havana Biennial). Conservation,
Restoration and Museology Center (CENCREM), Convent of Santa Clara.
Havana, Cuba. / ENERGY-DEVOURING MONSTERS. Galería Casa de
América de Madrid. Madrid, Spain. 2007 / CUBAN COLD. Galería Alovera,
Guadalajara, Madrid, Spain. 2007 / ENERGY DEVOURERS. Triennale Bovisa.
Milano, Italy. 2007 / ENERGY-DEVOURING MONSTERS. Grand Palais,
Paris, France, 2007.
THE RISE OR DECLINE OF CUBAN ART. Flavio Garciandía's collective project.
National Museum of Fine Arts. Havana, Cuba.
MARTÍ OF ALL. Museum of the Americas. Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
2005: CUBAN IV. Salon of Religious Art devoted to la Caridad del Cobre. Parroquia
Santísima Trinidad. Claretian Missionaries. Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.
IV SALON OF CONTEMPORARY CUBAN ART. Center for Development of Visual Arts,
Photography Archive of Cuba, Provincial Center of Plastic Arts and Design. Havana,
Cuba.
THE ART OF APPROPRIATION. (POSTMODERN ART). Galería Servando. Havana,
Cuba.
2003: WAYS OF INVENTING A SMILE. Special project, 8th Havana Biennial.
Center for Development of Visual Arts. Havana, Cuba.
SANTANDER ART. Galería Pedro Torres. Palacio de Festivales. Santander, Cantabria,
Spain. (sharing exhibition stand with artists José Hernández and Juan Genovés).
2002: WORDS IN THE TROPICS. Conservation, Restoration and Museology Center
(CENCREM), Convent of Santa Clara. Havana, Cuba.
2001: POSTMEDIEVAL IN PUERTO RICO. Museum of the Americas. Old San Juan,
Puerto Rico.
II SALON OF EROTIC ART. Galería La Acacia. Havana, Cuba.
1999: SANTANDER ART. Galería Pedro Torres. Palacio de Festivales, Santander. Cantabria,
Spain.
1998: SANTANDER ART. Galería Pedro Torres. Palacio de Festivales. Santander. Cantabria,
Spain.
ARCO International Art Fair. Galería La Acacia, Juan Carlos I Fairground.
Madrid, Spain.
1997: ARCO International Art Fair. Galería La Acacia, Juan Carlos I Fairground.
Madrid, Spain.
GAZES ON CHE, TWELVE CONTEMPORARY CUBAN ARTISTS. Koldo Mitxelena
Kulturunea, San Sebastián / Hika Ateneo, Bilbao, Euskadi.
1996: ALMENDARES RIVER: NEITHER STRAWBERRY NOR CHOCOLATE. Conservation,
Restoration and Museology Center (CENCREM), Convent of Santa Clara. Havana, Cuba.
SPRING AUCTION. El Centro room. Meliá Cohíba Hotel, Havana, Cuba.
THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD OF ART AND MEDICINE. International Images, Ltd
Pennsylvania. USA.
CUBAN POSTERS. UQAM. University of Quebec at Montreal. Canada.
YOUNG CUBANS II. International Images, Ltd Pennsylvania, USA.
CARIBBEAN AND LATIN AMERICAN FINE ART. Jorge M. Sory Fine Art associated
with Chelsea Galleries. Coral Gables, Florida, USA.
1995: ILLUMINATION. Center for Development of Visual Arts. Havana, Cuba.
I SALON OF CONTEMPORARY CUBAN ART. National Museum, Palace of Fine Arts.
Havana, Cuba.
CENTENNIAL EXHIBITION OR SEVENTEEN INSTANTS OF A SPRING.
Galería Imago, Gran Teatro de La Habana. Havana, Cuba.
POSTERS BY ARTISTS. Center for Development of Visual Arts. Havana, Cuba.
DESIGN ALTERNATIVES I. Peter Ludwig Foundation of Cuba, Center for Development
of Visual Arts. Havana, Cuba.
PALIMPSESTS. QUOTATIONS AND APPROPRIATIONS. Galería Habana. Havana, Cuba.
HUMORISM COLLECTIVE SHOW. Espaco Mascareñas, Minas Gerais, Brasil.
PANORAMA (Selection of Cuban painting). Casa Matriz. National Bank of Panama,
Panama City, Panama.
NEWEST CUBAN ARTISTS. Cultural Gathering of Cuba in Mexico. Casa del
Lago, Former Chapultepec Forest. Mexico City, Mexico.
XVII FESTIVAL OF NEW LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA. Galería Imago, Gran Teatro
de La Habana, Havana, Cuba.
CONTEMPORARY CUBAN FINE ARTS. Two Weeks of Cuban Culture in Portugal.
Belen Cultural Center, Portugal.
1994: ILLUSTRATIONS FOR BOOK COVERS. Pinos Nuevos project. VI International Book Fair
Havana'94. Havana, Cuba.
NO ONE IS AN ISLAND. CURRENT CUBAN HUMOR. Casa do Benin,
Salvador Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
YOUNG CUBANS. International Images Ltd., Pennsylvania, USA.
1993: BORN IN CUBA. Mexiquense Cultural Center Ex Hacienda La Pila, Road to San
Buenaventura, Toluca. State of Mexico / Interamerican University of Puerto Rico,
Puerto Rico.
MASS FOR A GRIMACE. VIII International Biennial of Humor. Center for Development
of Visual Arts. Havana, Cuba.
VIII INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL OF HUMOR. Galería "Eduardo Abela", San
Antonio de los Baños. Havana, Cuba OVERTURE. Galería Plaza Vieja, Cuban Cultural
Assets Fund. Havana, Cuba.
1992: THE UNKNOWN FACE OF CUBAN ART. Northern Center for Contemporary Art (NCCA).
Sunderland, New Castle, Great Britain.
6 CUBAN ARTISTS. Northern Center for Contemporary Art (NCCA). Sunderland,
New Castle, England
THE CUBAN ROUND. Van Reekum Museum Apeldoorn. The Netherlands. THE MISSION.
Galería Convent Domingo San Juan de Letrán. Havana, Cuba.
HUMOR AS ALWAYS. Galería "Eduardo Abela". San Antonio de los Baños, Havana,
Cuba.
1991: VII INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL OF HUMOR. Galería "Eduardo Abela". San Antonio
de los Baños, Havana, Cuba.
HUMOR IN CURRENT PLASTIC ARTS. Municipal Museum of History. San Antonio de
los Baños, Havana, Cuba.
BORN IN CUBA. Rectorship, Carabobo University Foundation, Carabobo,
Venezuela.
CERTAIN HUMOR STORIES. Center for Development of Visual Arts. Havana,
Cuba.
II BIENNIAL OF SMALL FORMAT CERAMICS "AMELIA PELÁEZ". Castle of the
Royal Force, Havana, Cuba.
TELARTE VII. DESIGNS BY PLASTIC ARTISTS FOR TEXTILE PRINTING.
Center for Development of Visual Arts. Havana, Cuba.
1990: WITHOUT A WORD. Galería "Guerrero", Humor Promotion Center Acapulco. Havana,
Cuba.
II FESTIVAL OF HUMOR SEÑA 90. Matanzas, Cuba. I NATIONAL SALON
OF HUMOR AND SATIRE. San Antonio de Baños, Havana, Cuba.
HUMOR IN CUBA. First Exhibition History in Comic Strips and Comics of Cuba. Brazil.
HUMOR-ISM. Cuban humoristic design international awards 1980-1990. Provincial
Center of Plastic Arts and Design. Havana, Cuba.
HUMOR IN CUBA. 10th Exhibition of History in Comic Strips and Comics of Cuba.
State Library, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
FIRST NATIONAL SALON OF ILLUSTRATIONS FOR BOOKS. Havana, Cuba.
1989: IX INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL OF HUMOR AND SATIRE IN ART. House of Humor
and Satire. Gabrovo, Bulgaria.
1988: II ENCOUNTER OF YOUNG PLASTIC ARTISTS. II Salon of Young Plastic Arts
of Cuba. Provincial Museum of Villa Clara, Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba.
1987: TWENTY-SOMETHING YEARS OLD. Galería Habana. Havana, Cuba.
1986: INTERNATIONAL SALON OF POLITICAL SATIRE EXTERNAL DEBT. Art Center
23 y 12 / Galería "Juan David". Havana, Cuba.
VIII INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL OF HUMOR AND SATIRE IN ART. House of
Humor and Satire. Gabrovo, Bulgaria.
1985: COLLECTIVE EXHIBITION. "Máximo Gómez" Library. Havana / Art Gallery
"Atilano Armenteros", San Luis, Pinar del Río, Cuba.

Awards
2001. First Prize, II Salon of Erotic Art. Galería La Acacia, Havana, Cuba.
1995. Honorable Mention, First Salon of Contemporary Cuban Art. National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba.
Award from the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the University of Havana. First Salon of Contemporary Cuban Art, Havana, Cuba.
1994. EGREM Award (shared with Rubén Alpízar) for Best CD Design of the Year for "The Incomparable Bola de Nieve", Havana, Cuba.
EGREM Award (shared with Rubén Alpízar) for Best Cassette Design of the Year for "The Compadres Arrived", Havana, Cuba.
1992. EGREM Award (shared with Rubén Alpízar) for Best LD Design of the Year for "At Whatever Hour They Call Me" by the Original Orchestra of Manzanillo, Havana, Cuba.
First Prize in the Comic Humor category and Third Shared Prize in the theme "Friendship" awarded by UNEAC. VII International Biennial of Humor. San Antonio de los Baños, Havana, Cuba.
1990. First Melocatus Matanzanus Prize in Graphic Humor. II Humor Festival Seña, Matanzas, Cuba.
Special Mention, First National Salon of Illustrations for Books. Havana, Cuba.
First Prize I National Salon of Humor and Satire. San Antonio de Baños, Havana, Cuba.
1989. Grand Aesop Gold Prize. IX International Biennial of Humor and Satire in Art, Gabrovo, Bulgaria.
1984. Second Prize Municipal Salon of Graphic Propaganda July 26. Galería Servando Cabrera Moreno, Havana, Cuba.

Other Activities
2007. Cover design, back cover and 22 illustrations for the children's book "Tales to Awaken", by writer José Ramón Marcos. Gente Nueva Publishing, Havana, Cuba.
2007. Cover and back cover design for the book "The Devil in a Bottle and Other Stories" by author Robert Louis Stevenson. Gente Nueva Publishing, Havana, Cuba.
2006. Cover and Back Cover Design of TEMAS Magazine, No. 46, April-June, Havana, Cuba.
2005. Invited Artist. Personal Exhibition of Rubén Alpízar, Cuban Barbecue Express. Havana Club Foundation, Havana, Cuba.
2001. Cover, back cover and 23 illustrations for the Illustrated Dictionary of Cuban Erotic Voices, by writers: Marlene García and José R. Alonso. Celeste Editions S.A. Madrid, Spain.
1993-1996. Director of Assets of the Animated Film Department of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), in the films "More Was Lost in Cuba" and "Mafalda".
1993. Cover and back cover design of the book by Paquita Armas "Life in Comics". Editorial Pablo de la Torriente, Havana, Cuba.
1991. Performed the animation on celluloid (using Norman Mc Laren's technique) of the short film "Dark Caged Rhinoceroses Very Much in Fashion", directed by Juan Carlos Cremata, Havana.

Collections
National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana
Van Reekum Museum, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
Farber Collection, New York
Sightings Collection, Havana
Coral Capital Art Collection, Florida
Shelley&Donald Rubin Collection, New York
Benicio del Toro Collection, Puerto Rico
National Council of Plastic Arts CNAP, Havana
Armando Amorim Soares Collection, Portugal
The von Chistierson Collection, London
Alberto de la Puente Collection, Spain
Gilbert Brownstone Collection, Paris.

Official artist website https://www.artamayo.com/