06.08.07
Hugo Consuegra De Los Once
Excerpt from Hugo Consuegra’s Obituary From The Miami Herald. Hugo Passed Away In 2003.
Painter Hugo Consuegra, who in the 1950s helped spark a movement of abstract expressionism in Cuba, died of cancer Friday at his home in Rego Park, New York. He was 73. Consuegra was born in Havana. He studied at the Academia de San Alejandro, and graduated from the University of Havana as an architect. In 1953, he became one of the founding members of The Eleven, a group he described in a recent interview as “young artists attempting forms of expression different from the Havana school represented by [René] Portocarrero, [Mario] Carreño and others.'’ The group broke away from the representational style prevalent at the time in Cuba and produced its largest volume of work between 1953 and 1955, after which it disbanded. Consuegra and four of the original 11 continued to exhibit until 1963, in what became known as the post-revolutionary avant-garde movement. To Consuegra, being part of a group did not rob him of his individuality. ‘’A group does not create, unless it does so through its members,'’ he said in a 2001 interview. “Like fish, group is a generic name. What’s really important is the salmon, the bream or the snapper.'’
Hugo was a great artist and a wonderful person with a gentle temperment. In celebration of the publishing of the book HUGO CONSUEGRA, we at “Where The Pieces Fall” will be posting previously unpublished images of Hugo’s work. Stay tuned.
Tags: Hugo Consuegra, Los Once, The Eleven, Cuban Art, Abstract Expressionism