José Villa Soberón
Encyclopedia
José Ramón Villa Soberón (born September 2, 1950, Santiago de Cuba
, Cuba
) is a Cuban artist, particularly known for his public sculptures around Havana
. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Arte (The National School of Art) in Havana
, Cuba and the Academy of Plastic Arts in Prague
. He is a professor at the Instituto Superior de Arte
in Havana. His sculptures, paintings, engravings, drawings and designs are held by the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
, and in 1996 he was one of the selected artist in the second Trienal Americana de Escultura in Argentina
.
His artwork has been part of many collective exhibitions. In 1969 he was included in the collective exhibitions of painting and esculpture Exposición Escuela Nacional de Arte in the Centro de Arte Internacional, Havana, Cuba. In 1971, he participated in the Salón Nacional para Artistas Jóvenes.
(1978); and First Prize in the II Trienal Americana de Escultura, Argentina
(1996).
(2003, sitting on a barstool in the Floridita
bar and restaurant), Che Guevara
(1982, Palacio Central de Pioneros Ernesto Che Guevara, Parque Lenin), and John Lennon
(2000, John Lennon Park
, Vedado, Havana). In 2001 his statue of José María López Lledín
, a local vagabond dubbed the "Gentleman from Paris" (El Caballero de Paris), was placed outside Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis, and is stroked by visitors for good luck.
His 1986 Monumento a Martí (José Villa y Rómulo Fernández) is in the Plaza de Quito, Paseo de Havana, Madrid
, Spain
. In 1992 he made Escultura ambiental, in the Campus de la Universidad de Valencia, Spain. In that year he also made the one Escultura ambiental, in the Exteriores del Museo de Bellas Artes, Santiago de Chile, Chile
.
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
) is a Cuban artist, particularly known for his public sculptures around Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. He studied at the Escuela Nacional de Arte (The National School of Art) in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba and the Academy of Plastic Arts in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. He is a professor at the Instituto Superior de Arte
Instituto Superior de Arte
The University of Arts of Cuba - , Instituto Superior de Arte was established on September 1, 1976 by the Cuban government as a school for the arts. Its original structure had three schools: Music, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts....
in Havana. His sculptures, paintings, engravings, drawings and designs are held by the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana in Havana, Cuba is a museum of Fine Arts that exhibits Cuban art collections from the colonial times up to contemporary generations. It was founded on February 23, 1913 due to the efforts of its first director, Emilio Heredia, a well-known architect...
, and in 1996 he was one of the selected artist in the second Trienal Americana de Escultura in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
His artwork has been part of many collective exhibitions. In 1969 he was included in the collective exhibitions of painting and esculpture Exposición Escuela Nacional de Arte in the Centro de Arte Internacional, Havana, Cuba. In 1971, he participated in the Salón Nacional para Artistas Jóvenes.
Awards
His awards include the Third Prize in the Salón de Profesores e Instructores de Artes Plásticas, Escuela Nacional de Arte (1973); Mention in Sculpture in the VII Salón Nacional Juvenil de Artes Plásticas, Museo Nacional de Bellas ArtesMuseo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana
The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana in Havana, Cuba is a museum of Fine Arts that exhibits Cuban art collections from the colonial times up to contemporary generations. It was founded on February 23, 1913 due to the efforts of its first director, Emilio Heredia, a well-known architect...
(1978); and First Prize in the II Trienal Americana de Escultura, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
(1996).
Public sculpture
The artist is noted for his public sculptures around Havana. These include statues of Ernest HemingwayErnest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
(2003, sitting on a barstool in the Floridita
Floridita
Floridita or El Floridita is an historic fish restaurant and cocktail bar in the older part of Havana , Cuba. It lies at the end of Calle Obispo , across Monserrate Street from the The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana...
bar and restaurant), Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
(1982, Palacio Central de Pioneros Ernesto Che Guevara, Parque Lenin), and John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
(2000, John Lennon Park
John Lennon Park
John Lennon Park or Parque John Lennon is a public park, located in the Vedado district in Havana, Cuba.On one of the benches of the park, nearer the corner of streets 17th and 6th, there is a sculpture of the former Beatles member John Lennon, sculpted by Cuban artist José Villa Soberón, seated on...
, Vedado, Havana). In 2001 his statue of José María López Lledín
José María López Lledín
José María López Lledín known as El caballero de Paris was a well known street person in Havana, Cuba in the decade of the 50s.-First years:...
, a local vagabond dubbed the "Gentleman from Paris" (El Caballero de Paris), was placed outside Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis, and is stroked by visitors for good luck.
His 1986 Monumento a Martí (José Villa y Rómulo Fernández) is in the Plaza de Quito, Paseo de Havana, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. In 1992 he made Escultura ambiental, in the Campus de la Universidad de Valencia, Spain. In that year he also made the one Escultura ambiental, in the Exteriores del Museo de Bellas Artes, Santiago de Chile, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
.