From an early age, Navarrete displayed a great talent for painting and sketching. In 1977, he graduated from the prestigious San Alejandro School of Fine Arts, in Havana, with a masters degree in Fine Arts. That same year, he held his first solo exhibition at Galiano Art Gallery.
Navarrete has spent the last 24 years building in this community a reputation as a genuinely Cuban artist. In the work of Juan Navarrete there are many elements to underscore, but perhaps the most significant is his commitment to continue utilizing the expressive language that places him in direct connection with what we know as La Escuela de la Habana (the School of Havana). To this end, Navarrete not only uses a language of symbolism, but also of color and themes that are fundamental to the construction of works that inconspicuously and mysteriously appeal to our nostalgia. His works are metaphors for the Caribbean landscape; life in nature combined with the sensuality that is subtly inherent in island life. With abstract images of palms or sailboats, Navarrete reminds us that the experience of exile is ever-present in his (and our) existence. Navarrete immigrated to the United States in 1986. Since then, he has been living in Miami, Florida, where his art rapidly flourished. He has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Miami, New York, Washington, Chicago, Nashville, and Ft. Worth. His artworks also form part of private collections in Italy, Germany, Argentina, and Puerto Rico.
"The brilliance of Navarrete's canvases shows from the moment that he begins to execute his work of art, the strength of his colors is their first point of attraction. They carry with them a subliminal message of erotic and surreal roots"
- Armando Alvarez Bravo, "Juan A. Navarrete", The Miami Herald, Miami, FL, 1990
Samples of his Work:
Hello,
ReplyDeleteDo you have this artists contact info?
Yes I do, e-mail me at cubanartsconnection@gmail.com and I will provide it to you. I'm not sure if he will like me to post it publicly here.
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