Ver Italia y vivir: The Poetics of the Sublime

The National Museum of Fine Arts will open its doors this Friday, May 25, to host the exhibition Ver Italia y vivir. Experiencias de “lo sublime” en el arte cubano contemporáneo.

This curation by Niurka Fanego continues the research into the processes of intervention in the permanent exhibition rooms and extends essential connections to the exhibition Viaje a Italia. Paisaje y memorabilia.

In this instance, the focus is on the landscape as an autonomous genre and its vitality among a group of young artists with mature careers. Elizabet Cerviño, Alejandro Campins, José Manuel Mesías, Irving Vera, David Beltrán, and Ernesto García Sánchez were inspired by landscapes from the Permanent Italian Art Gallery to create works that emphasize the identity of the artistic genre in question, as well as its pictorial values.

The resulting collection of pieces demonstrates a profound empathy with the «poetics of the sublime,» interpreted through the contingencies imposed by everyday life, as highlighted in the press release received by our editorial team.

Most of the artworks had to be transported from the various countries where their creators currently reside, representing a significant effort to continue collaborating with Cuban visual arts within Cuba.

Completing the display, as a prologue, is a piece by architect Francisco Bedoya, whose language and spirit provide a notable precedent for the stylistic connections between Italian art and national art.

The exhibition will be displayed in the second segment of the Permanent Italian Art Gallery, constituting a tribute to the Italian landscape tradition and celebrating the magnificent heritage that has enriched international art.

This project has received support from the Embassy of Italy in Cuba and its Ambassador, Roberto Vellano.

Ver Italia y vivir. Experiencias de “lo sublime” will be open from May 25 to September 15, 2024.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez