MADRID.- Cuban American painter Rafael Soriano (1920–2015) was an acclaimed master of geometric abstraction and a global figure in the twentieth-century art world; his work resonated with international artists of Latin American origin like Roberto Matta, Rufino Tamayo, and Wifredo Lam. As a result of the Revolution in Cuba, in 1962 Soriano immigrated to the United States. An unprecedented examination of his life’s work, this exhibition focuses on the multiple influences that nurtured a style where, in his words, “the intimate and the cosmic converge.”

Featuring twenty-nine painting and pastels from the Rafael Soriano Family Collection and private collections, The Artist as Mystic begins with Soriano’s works in the Cuban geometric abstract style. It then moves to his transitional, experimental paintings from the 1960s and 1970s reminiscent of surrealist biomorphism. The exhibition concludes with luminous, mystical imagery in paintings from Soriano’s mature period.

Accompanied by a bilingual English-Spanish catalogue with contributions from American, Cuban American, and Cuban scholars, The Artist as Mystic opens at Casa de América from March 23 to May 26, 2023. This exhibition will be Soriano’s first retrospective in Madrid.

Organized by the McMullen Museum in conjunction with the Rafael Soriano Foundation and Casa de América, the exhibition has been curated by Elizabeth Thompson Goizueta. Generous support has been provided LNS Gallery and the Fortress. The McMullen Museum has provided their intellectual property for the exhibition.