Adriano Nicot
Adriano Nicot | |
---|---|
Academia de San Alejandro | |
Occupation(s) | Visual artist, poet |
Known for | Cuban Neoexpressionist painting |
Notable work | Donde el Alma se te Quiebra, La Bella de Alhambra, Portraits series, Minotaur series |
Movement | Neo-expressionism |
Adriano Adolfo Fernandez Nicot is a Cuban-American painter and poet based in Miami, Florida. He is known for a distinctive
Background and early life
Nicot was born on October 9, 1964, in
Nicot displayed an interest and inclination toward the arts early in his childhood and was supported by his parents in his artistic pursuits. In interviews Nicot has recounted that he began actively drawing and sketching by the age of five, after which his father would regularly provide him with sketching paper."[4][5] A key moment in his artistic development came when Nicot was eight years old and had been found to draw on a wall of their residence.[5] When asked by his father why he did this when he had ample sketching paper, Nicot explained that his artistic ideas were of too large a scale to convey on paper.[5] Following this incident, Nicot’s father believed he had deeper potential as an artist and his parents subsequently enrolled him in art classes in Cuba’s Biblioteca Nacional later that year.[4] There he began his formal training in the arts studying both art history as well as painting and sketching techniques. Another significant artistic influence in Nicot's early artistic development were his regular visits with his grandfather to the residence of famed Cuban artist René Portocarrero. There Nicot would observe his works and then attempt to imitate their styles after returning from the visits.[3]
Art career
Following his regular studies at the Biblioteca Nacional, Nicot was also mentored by several prominent Cuban artists, including Antonia Eiriz and Manuel Vidal Fernández, both closely affiliated with the influential "Los Once" (The Eleven) art group, as well as Vidal's second wife Hilda Vidal Valdes. Eiriz, a leading Cuban Expressionist, was a particularly strong influence on Nicot and the development of his own style. Eiriz was a neighbor of his in Havana and Nicot would visit her home regularly for private lessons in painting.[4]
In addition to Nicot's association with Eiriz, the Vidals would also play a significant role in Nicot gaining visibility in his early career. Manuel Vidal first discovered Nicot when he encountered him sketching outdoors in Havana.
By the end of 1995 Nicot had graduated from the Academy of San Alejandro with majors in painting and engraving and had exhibited with both Vidals, Eiriz, and several other leading Cuban artists of the time. This would draw the attention of critics, gallerists, as well as collectors and pave the way to a string of exhibitions, his first awards, as well as further public art commissions before the close of the decade. Following the success of his early exhibitions, Nicot received a pair of scenographic commissions in 1998 for the Havana theatrical stage productions Mandragora (directed by Miguel Montesco) and Blue Moon (directed by Fernando Quinones). In the Cuba period of his career, Nicot became a member of several influential arts institutions such as the Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales, La Brigada Hermanos Saiz, and also served as an arts instructor at the Centro Cultural de Yara.[8]
Nicot and his family relocated to Miami in 1999
In November 2020, Nicot proposed and initiated the “Brose Forever” group exhibition in honor of the late Cuban actress Broselianda Hernández to mark the first anniversary of her death.[10] The exhibition was hosted and organized the following year by the Arte Libre group in collaboration with the North Miami Beach Library. “Brose Forever” featured over 40 international artists, including Nicot, from the United States, Cuba, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, and Pakistan.[10]
In 2021 Nicot participated in the nonprofit HATT Foundation’s fine art auction with artwork valued in excess of $13,000.[11][12][13] The fundraiser was in support of the foundation's mission to assist under-served and at-risk children, underprivileged families, and senior citizens based in Florida.[14]
In 2022 Nicot was selected to be featured in the Pompano Beach Cultural Center's Culture and Identity of Our America collective exhibition. The exhibition opened on October 14 as part of the Center's Hispanic Heritage Month activities in collaboration with the Latin American Art Pavilion (LAAP).[15]
Selected exhibitions
Nicot has been highly active in exhibiting his art at a range of venues and has participated in over sixty solo and collective art exhibitions in Cuba, the United States, and Peru since launching his professional art career in the early 1990s. Nicot's first solo exhibitions were the pair of shows titled La Violencia de las Horas I & II (The Violence of the Hours) at Havana's Galeria Kahlo. The foreword to this first exhibition (Part I) was written by another notable Cuban art figure, Carlos Guzman, director of Havana's Galeria Kahlo. As a member of the UNEAC, Manuel Vidal wrote the foreword to the catalog of Nicot's September 1994 exhibition Encuentros Cercanos (Close Encounters).
Throughout his exhibition career Nicot has exhibited with several other notable Latin American artists, including
Since relocating to the United States Nicot has exhibited throughout
Selected Individual Exhibitions
- 2017 Rompiendo Marcos, Sarracino Gallery, Coral Gables, Florida, US
- 2010 Absolute Adriano, Logo Projects in conjunction with Ocean Ophthalmology Group, Miami, FL, US.
- 2009 Diego Quispe Tito, Sala de Exposiciones Mariano Fuentes Lira de la Escuela Superior Autonoma de Bellas Artes, Cusco, Peru
- 2009 Current Works, Miami, Florida, US.
- 2001 Current Works, Blue Angel Gallery, Miami, Florida, US.
- 1996 La Expresion del Jazz, Galeria Casa de la Cultura de Plaza, Havana, Cuba.
- 1995 Encuentros Cercanos (I & II), Galeria Arte 7 & Centro Cultural Cinematografico Yara, Havana, Cuba.
- 1994 La Violencia de las Horas (I & II), Galeria Kahlo and Facultad Internacional de Cine Radio y Television del Instituto Superior de Arte, Havana Cuba.
Selected Collective Exhibitions
- 2022,Culture and Identity of Our America, Pompano Beach Cultural Center, Pompano Beach, Florida, US
- 2018 Rooster, Gallo, Galo, Gallus, Milander Center for Art and Entertainment, Hialeah, Florida, US
- 2017 Obrapia Art Gallery, Miami, Florida, US
- 2017 3 en el Bunker, The Bunker, Coral Ridge, Florida, US
- 2016 La Mano Hispana, Milander Center for Art and Entertainment, Hialeah, Florida, US
- 2016 For the Love of Art, Douglas Historic Building, Coral Gables, Florida, US
- 2016 IART1 Gallery, Coral Gables, FL, US
- 2015 Victor Clarke Recital Hall, Coral Gables, Florida, US
- 2015 The Car, The Culture, Amstrong Ford of Homestead, Florida, US
- 2014 Latin Views, A Biennal Exhibition, Alexey von Schlippe Gallery of Art, Groton, Connecticut, US
- 2014 IF – THEN, Galeria Xinqo, Art Basel 2014, North Miami, Florida, US.
- 2014 Manifest/Destiny, Little Haiti Cultural Center, Miami, Florida, US.
- 2014 I Will Walk for You, Coral Gables Museum, Coral Gables, Florida, US.
- 2014 Synergy: Artists in Collaboration, MDC Galleries of Art + Design, Kendall, Florida, US.
- 2013 More than Meets the Eye, The Art Link, Art Basel 2013, Miami, FL USA
- 2013 Galeria Xinqo, North Miami, Florida, US.
- 2012 Litte Haiti Cultural Center, Miami, Florida, US.
- 2012 ArtCenter / South Florida, Miami Beach, Florida, US.
- 2011 LZ Fine Art Galeria, North Miami, Florida, US.
- 2011 Caridi Gallery, North Miami, FL, US.
- 2010 Arte X Comida, Leal's Fine Art Gallery, Miami, Florida, US.
- 2010 Lucky You! 2, Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami, Florida, US.
- 2009 Masters’ Mystery Art Show 2009, Ritz Carlton Hotel, Miami Beach, FL, US.
- 2009 Semana Binacional de Salud de las Americas, Osorio Arts & Graphics, North Miami, Florida, US.
- 2009 Grand Opening of The Children's Gallery and Art Center, Inc., Homestead, Florida, US.
- 2009 Human Image and Portrait, Art Expressions Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US.
- 2008 Galeria Xinqo, The Revenge of Abstraction, North Miami, Florida, US.
- 2008 8 on 8, Maria Sonia Martin Art Gallery, Miami, Florida, US.
- 2008 World Artistic Spirits at NOMI, North Miami Public Library, North Miami, Florida, US.
- 2008 Collective Exhibits of Cuban Painters, Ancient Times Gallery, Miami, Florida, US.
- 2008 Masters’ Mystery Art Show 2008, Ritz Carlton Hotel, Miami Beach, FL, US.
- 2008 Suyu #3, Suyu Art Gallery, North Miami Florida, US.
- 2007 Eye to Art, Idesigns, Coral Gables, Florida, US.
- 2007 Kick off Basel, Obini Studio Gallery, Miami, Florida, US.
- 2007 Las Voces del Caribe, Galerias Prinardi USA, West Palm Beach, Florida, US.
- 2006 Voices For Children Foundation, First National Bank of South Miami, Miami, Florida, US.
- 2000 Homenaje a Reinaldo Arenas, Blue Angel Gallery, Miami, Florida, US.
- 1996 Jovenes en la Plastica, Galeria Imagos, Havana, Cuba.
- 1995 Fragmentos desde la Ventana, Galeria Arte 7, also featuring Alejandro Garcia, Carlos Guzman y Fernando Ruiz, Havana, Cuba.
- 1995 Galeria Juan David, Havana, Cuba.
- 1995 Exposicion Los Monstruos de la Razon, Salon de Arte Cubano Contemporaneo, Havana, Cuba.
Artwork and analysis
Nicot is a Neoexpressionist. His style is a distinct exponent of the movement that has become known for elements such as rejecting the use of sharp, clear lines and instead using often tenebrous color and texture to define form.[7] He creates works that are somber and psychological in nature, often painting haunting portraits depicting real or imagined subjects as well as mythological and spiritual themes.[7] His works often use a main color as a backdrop to set an ambience for the subject matter and then builds upon it with secondary accent colors to enhance the central figure(s). While mainly known for figurative work, Nicot also occasionally paints nonrepresentational abstract pieces, though color and texture remain his defining hallmark characteristics within them. Nicot works in mixed media (oil, acrylic, charcoal) on paper and canvas, as well as occasional engraved works.[25]
Nicot describes his creative process as highly experimental. In interviews as well as artist statements, Nicot has explained that he never plans his pieces before beginning them and instead allows them to develop in their own spontaneous and intuitive manner.
Nicot's artwork has received analysis from media and art critics.
Musaschy Filgueira (known professionally as Niten), co-curator of the collective exhibition Ceaseless Stream that Nicot participated in, told
Selected works
Paintings:
-
Zelinda
-
La Pescadora (The Fisherwoman)
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Edmonia
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Catedral (Cathedral)
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Caballo Nocturno (Nocturnal Horse)
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Retrato (Portrait)
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Mujer Contemplativa (Contemplative Woman)
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Delirio en Rojo (Delirium in Red)
Books:
- El tiempo que me interroga (The Time that Interrogates Me)
- Monsters of the Reason
Recognition
In interviews Nicot has attributed his early career success to his work being easily distinguishable from other Latin American artists due to their personal introspective nature and distinctly dark and stark tones.[4] This was in contrast to the norms within Cuban and Latin American art to emphasize light and bright color in order to infuse their well-known tropical and Caribbean surroundings. He attributed this early distinction as a signature element of his work for imparting a memorable impact that led to his enduring appeal among critics and collectors.[4] Manuel Vidal, one of his earliest high-profile supporters, has stated that Nicot's subjects “radiate a transparent spirituality [...] because [they have] been humanized, metamorphosed, and transfigured by the fabulous work of the artist."[7] In addition to the early exhibitions with the Vidals, Antonia Eiriz, and other Cuban art notables, Nicot also gained recognition in Cuba for his 1994 public art commission in Havana to paint a mural in the Casa de Cultura Centro Habana.
Since becoming re-established in the United States, Nicot has published the books El tiempo que me interroga, which explores Nicot's art and poetry, and Monsters of the Reason, which focuses on his visual art. His art is also featured in several books including País sin Moscas by Felix Anesio, La Patria es una Naranja by
Throughout his career Nicot has won art awards in Cuba, the United States, Latin America, Germany, and Israel.[6][4] Among his first career recognitions was a Reconocimiento Award by FIART, the Feria Internacional de Artesania, on 15 June 1991 by Rafael Gutierrez, Director of the Fondo Cubano de Bienes Culturales. Nicot won the First Prize for his painting La Bella de la Alhambra, a key work of Nicot's early career, in the juried Third Salon of Havana's la Galeria Arte Siete on April 24, 1994, which was presided by Fidel Perez Cardenas, Director of the Centro Cultural Cinematográfico Yara.[6] Nicot was awarded the Judge's Distinction Award by the Broward Art Guild in July 2009 for his Mixed-media painting Carmen during their Human Image and Portrait exhibition. City of Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez awarded Nicot a Personal Recognition Award on July 21, 2016, for his contributions to the exhibition The Afterlife of Color.
Along with his ongoing Portraits and mythological-themed series, a piece that has emerged as a significant work of Nicot's post-Cuba period is Dónde el alma se te quiebra, a painting which has often served as the centerpiece for VIP attendee photos in several major events and exhibitions Nicot has participated in. One notable example was 2018's Ceaseless Stream in Lakeland, Florida, where community notables in attendance, including Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz, posed alongside the piece with artist and curator Niten to promote the event. The piece was also mentioned in The Ledger's subsequent coverage of the exhibition.[29] Another was 2020's Imagine: A Collective Art Exhibition at Florida International University where the piece was also used as the backdrop for promotional material.
Since arriving to the United States, Nicot has been interviewed and covered in various media outlets on television and print media such as the
See also
References
- ^ "Adriano Nicot Artnet". www.artnet.com. Artnet Worldwide Corporation.
- ^ "Adriano Nicot Artsy". www.artsy.net. 2021 Artsy.
- ^ a b c Fleites, Alex (25 March 2022). "Adriano Nicot: "Un diálogo con el tigre"". www.oncubanews.com (in Spanish). OnCuba, Fuego Enterprises Inc.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rangugni, Agustin; Nicot, Adriano. "TVRM - ENTREVISTA a Adriano Nicot, artista plastico visual cubano". www.youtube.com. TVRadioMiami.
- ^ a b c d e f g Benel, Omar (17 February 2009). "Adriano Nicot". Express News Latinoamericano. No. 29. p. 13.
- ^ a b c d e f g "LOGO Projects presents Adriano Nicot". www.miamiartguide.com. Miami Art Guide. 12 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Montero, Hortensia. "Figuras que salen en la noche". www.artoncuba.com. ART Oncuba.
- ^ a b c d "VisualMente: Adriano Nicot". www.facebook.com. Jnart Productions.
- ^ "Adriano Nicot Artland Artist Biography". www.artland.com. Artland ApS.
- ^ a b c Delgado, Grethel (17 November 2021). ""Brose Forever", un tributo en Miami a Broselianda Hernández". www.diariolasamericas.com (in Spanish). Diario Las Americas. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ "Fedora The Clown". www.hatt1.com. HATT Foundation. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ "En Mi Jardin". www.hatt1.com. HATT Foundation. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ "Fredreick". www.hatt1.com. HATT Foundation. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ "Mission, Vision, and Values". www.hatt1.com. HATT Foundation. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ "Culture & Identity Exhibition by Latin American Arts Pavilion". www.pompanobeachfl.gov. City of Pompano Beach. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "A Colossus Miami Collective". www.artecru.com. Artecru S.A C.V.
- ^ a b c Olmos, Isabel. "La exposición de gallos más concurrida del sur de la Florida". www.elnuevoherald.com. El Nuevo Herald.
- ^ Montero, Hortensia. "El rescate del tulipán azul". www.artoncuba.com. ART Oncuba.
- ^ a b Permuy, Antonio (23 October 2023). "Artist seeks to link Miami and Tampa Bay Cuban art Scenes". www.v.calameo.com. Coral Gables, Florida: Coral Gables News. p. 30. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ "Adriano Nicot: ¨Rompiendo Marcos¨". www.artsy.net. 2021 Artsy.
- ^ a b c d Herrera, Adriana (8 February 2009). "Exhibición de Adriano Nicot en Bakerhouse Art Complex". El Nuevo Herald (in Spanish). p. 2D.
- ^ "Bakehouse Art Complex Newsletter: November 2009/ Art Basel". www.bacfl.org. Bakehouse Art Complex.
- ^ "The Soul of Miami: November 2008". www.soulofmiami.org. 2021 The Soul Of Miami. 30 November 2008.
- ^ "Biscayne Times (Vol. 9, Issue 9 - Nov 2011)" (PDF). uflib.ufl.edu. Biscayne Times/ UF Libraries Archives.
- ^ a b c White, Raysa. "Adriano Nicot: el arte siempre es cosa de tres". www.akerunoticias.com. Akeru Noticias.
- ^ "Adriano Nicot Artist Statement". www.absolutearts.com. World Wide Arts Resources Corporation.
- ^ Ogle, Connie (27 August 2010). "Absolute Adriano at LOGO Projects". The Miami Herald. p. 26G.
- ^ Ogle, Connie (25 June 2010). "LOGO Projects at Ocean Ophthalmology Group". The Miami Herald. p. 31G.
- ^ a b c Catala, Paul. "Art in exile: 'Ceaseless Stream' exhibit at ART/ifact Gallery in Lakeland". www.theledger.com. Gannett Co., Inc/USA Today Network.
- ^ a b Mutz, Annalee (9 August 2018). "Art in Motion". www.thelakelander.com. The Lakelander.
- ^ Anesio, Felix. "País sin moscas: y otros poemas (Spanish Edition)". www.amazon.com. Amazon.com, Inc.
- ^ Vazquez, Silvia Mabel. "Publicación en Miami". www.silviavazquez.com.ar. Silvia Mabel Vázquez, 2021.
- ^ "Revolucion y Cultura: Ficciones con sangre azul". Revolucion y Cultura, 1994. 1994.
- ^ Isaac Santana, Andres (13 May 2022). "En el espejo". www.plataformadeartecontemporaneo.com (in Spanish). Madrid: © PAC Plataforma de Arte Contemporáneo. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ "Mariana Natasha Díaz-Argüelles Ramírez-Corría". www.unesco.org. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.