Lescay (Alberto Lescay Merencio) Untitled, 2012, Watercolor On Paper 14" x 22" #6320

LESCAY [Alberto Lescay Merencio) was born in Santiago de Cuba in 1950, where he still lives and works. He grew up surrounded by African religions and practice—his mother was an important figure in Santiago’s religious community. He is Cuba’s best-known contemporary sculptor and is becoming known increasingly for the beauty of his paintings and mixed media works as well. He graduated with a degree in Painting in 1968 from the “José Joaquín Tejada” Fine Arts Workshop; in 1973 he added a degree in Sculpture from the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana. In 1979 he traveled to the Soviet Union where he lived for seven years, teaching art at the Repin Academy of Sculpture, Architecture, Painting and Graphics in St. Petersburg. After winning a competition to create a sculpture to Santiago’s great historical figure, Antonio Maceo, he opened a foundry outside of Santiago and worked for nine years, inventing new ways to build such a monumental work of art in Cuba. Instead of taking the prize money awarded for the competition, Lescay asked to start the Caguayo Foundation to help support young Cuban artists. The sculpture, “The Bronze Titan,” was installed in Santiago’s Revolution Square in 1995. Since then, Lescay has become known for his sculptures of iconic figures in Cuban history, as well as his abstract paintings.

http://albertolescay.com/

https://www.caribbeannewsdigital.com/en/noticia/caguayo-foundation’s-actions-celebrate-500th-anniversary-santiago-de-cuba