Josignacio

Josignacio (b. José Ignacio Sánchez-Rius, in Havana, Cuba, on October 24, 1963) is a Cuban-born American Contemporary artist and author. He is among the most significant living contemporary Cuban and Latin American artists due to his career auction records, paint medium innovations, and association with notable cultural events, venues, and celebrity figures in the United States and Latin America.

He emerged in Cuba's controversial, "La Generacion de los 80s," the 80s generation of contemporary Cuban art, also referred to as New Cuban Art. This cultural decade in Cuba contrasted a country in transition, influenced artistic debates both at home and abroad, and began the generation's collaboration with “Volume 1" - a commitment to non-government mandated artistic expression. They included Rubén Torres Llorca, José Bedia Valdés, Ricardo Rodriguez Brey, Juan Francisco Elso, Rogelio López Marín (Gory), Gustavo Pérez Monzón, José Manuel Fors, Leandro Soto Ortiz, Israel León, Tomás Sánchez and Carlos Alfonzo.

In the second half of the decade, other artistic groups were formed, including 4 x 4, Grupo Hexágono, Arte Calle, Grupo Provisional, the duet René Francisco Rodríguez and Eduardo Ponjuán González and ABTV. Grupo Puré, another new wave of young artists, graduates of the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA), included Ana Albertina Delgado Álvarez, Adriano Buergo, Ciro Quintana. Josignacio first gained artistic recognition in Cuba as a key figure of this period and was widely exhibited in Havana galleries during the 1980s.

In 1984, Josignacio created the "Plastic Paint Medium" of art by mixing epoxy resins with oil colors and other pigments, resulting in a hard, glossed, 3D finish, a method which would become his identifiable style. Josignacio is the first living contemporary Latin American artist to have an artwork surpass US$3 million at auction.

His work has been exhibited in the United States, Latin America, and Europe. This act was misinterpreted by the ISA administration as a protest against the Castro government, and he was subsequently banned from attending the institute. The agency was then directed by former Cuban Cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez. His involvement in this public art project proved to be a significant turning-point for his career as it was during that period that the artist first discovered a method of mixing epoxy resin with oil paint. By 1988, Josignacio was a member of the Asociación Hermanos Saíz (AHS), a Cuban youth arts institution, and his career began to become increasingly impacted by international Cuban politics. As an AHS member, he was commissioned that year to create the design for one of the participating floats in the Havana Carnival. Upon completion of his design and presenting it to the event commission, he was informed that his commission was canceled and the float design was recommissioned to fellow Cuban painter Manuel Mendive. In reaction to this incident, the Castro government reassigned Josignacio's commission to Mendive in a show of solidarity.

Nevertheless, by 1989 Josignacio had become professionally established with his work exhibited in eighteen Havana galleries between 1987 and 1989. Josignacio joined the South Florida Cuban diaspora in exile. There he quickly emerged as a major figure in Miami and Cuban exile culture and society. After becoming connected to Cuban fine art dealer Alfredo Martinez, Josignacio was introduced to his network and Martinez became a patron and supporter of his work. The following year was a featured artist in Marpad Gallery's major collective exhibition marking the 500th anniversary of the Discovery of America, held in April 1992. The exhibition featured 37 Latin American artists from Cuba, Costa Rica, Haiti, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Panama, as well as from Spain.

Josignacio experienced a pronounced career breakthrough in the United States by the mid-1990s. In 1996 he had a solo exhibition in Alfredo Martinez Gallery and participated in two prominent South Florida annual collective art exhibitions: Art Palm Beach and the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale's 38th Annual Hortt Competition Exhibition, Florida's oldest juried art exhibition. His winning piece was the work The 3 O'Clock. In 1997 he exhibited in the Liquid night club, a high-profile Miami nightclub of the 1990s, in an exhibition organized by close Madonna associates Ingrid Casares and Chris Paciello. Casares and Paciello would also organize and host three additional exhibitions for Josignacio that year at Risk, another of their night clubs.

In 2021 he was a featured artist participating in Art Basel Miami; this was the international art fair's first showing since the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic. The exhibition was his first show in Tampa Bay and his first exhibition since 2021. Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, Flora & Fauna also featured other notable artists including Adriano Nicot and Edel Alvarez Galban, and received coverage from Diario Las Americas, The Artisan Magazine, as well as television coverage. Three of Josignacio's well established nature themed series were on view: his Butterfly, Flowers, and Fish. Honey, your dinner is served was worth a reported $256,000

Following the WEAM donation, in January 2025 it was announced that Josignacio was added into the permanent collection of the Tampa Museum of Art with the acquisition of his piece The Pact. Executed ten years prior in 2015, The Pact was donated by art patron Antonio Permuy and was considered a notable work in Josignacio's career for marking the historic "Cuban Thaw" in diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. The acquisition was also noteworthy due to the long established Cuban roots in Tampa, and the many visits of Cuban national figure José Martí, who is prominently featured in the center of the piece, to the city. The Tampa Museum of Art released a statement marking the acquisition saying "The Pact is a significant work that commemorates the thawing of relations between the United States and Cuba, in addition to highlighting José Martí's historical connection with our community."

In March 2026, Josignacio was added to the permanent collection of the Jumex Museum in Mexico City with the acquisition of a work from his Guitar series to mark the 10th anniversary of his 2016 auction record for the highest price reached for a painting by a living Latin American artist with the sale of another work from the series, The Music is Timeless. Its impact and avant-garde nature has been called “A revolution inside The Revolution” by Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez while art critic Leonel López-Nussa described it as “New-Ism.” Dr. Kenworth W. Moffett, former Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale Director, described the Plastic Paint Medium as "the result of the marriage of art and technology." Like the Abstract Expressionists, his method engages in what he describes as a “dialog” with his works while creating them, allowing himself to be guided to a conclusion rather than tightly controlling the outcome.

Influences Early Cuban abstract art, European art, and mid-century American art are significant influences in Josignacio's art. After 1960 and during Josignacio's upbringing, Cuban abstract art was scarce or considerably silenced on the island as a result of the Cuban Revolution. This contributed to the radical, avant-garde nature of the art emerging in Cuba during the 1980s. The 80s Generation group would coalesce around Galería Color-Luz, which was started just after Ms. Soldevilla returned from several years in Paris as Cuba's cultural attaché, bringing European influence. Her partner in the effort, Pedro de Oraá, an artist, poet and art critic, born in 1931, also wrote a short history of the group.

Josignacio was influenced by the Abstract Expressionists of the New York School (art), especially Jackson Pollock, from whom he originally saw the use of dripping and pouring paint onto canvases. However, instead of alkyd enamels that Pollack used, Josignacio used his "Plastic Paint Medium" technique of mixing epoxy resins with oil colors and other pigments. Dutch painter Karel Appel's faces and Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky's mix of colors were also special focuses. From Dutch-American Willem de Kooning. Josignacio learned the centered figure compositions Another influence of Abstract Expressionism is his use and strong incorporation of fluid, largescale color field backgrounds in his works. Josignacio was also influenced by his early exposure and mentorships from Cuban Vanguardia artists, such as René Portocarrero, and their use of color. In regards to nature, Josignacio has acknowledged using close-up images of fossil rocks, deep-sea flora and fauna, and outer space as references and inspiration for his work. ARTnews, The Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, Diario Las Américas, Granma, Radio Rebelde, In 2023 his US career became the subject of the book Josignacio: Genio del Oleo y la Resina. Tomo I (Josignacio: Genius of Oil and Resin. Volume 1).

Josignacio's career has been the subject of several film documentaries in English and Spanish including Josignacio: Las Formas del Color (2008; by Art Work Productions and directed by Roberto J. Cayuso), as well as Josignacio: The Master of Colors (2010) by Calico Productions and directed by Daniel Urdanivia. He has also been featured in the documentaries La Pintura Cubana (2006) Art Work Productions and Los pintores cubanos: Dos siglos de pintura cubana by Latin American Art Consultants. Josignacio has also written published letters in support of other artists, including Alfredo Martinez and Edel Alvarez Galban.

The Vasari Project maintains archives relating to Josignacio's career due to their cultural significance to South Florida and the Cuban community. The Vasari Project is overseen by the Miami-Dade Public Library System to document artistically significant records pertaining to the Miami-Dade County region from the Post-World War II era through to the present.

Social causes and charity work

Josignacio contributed to social charities by donating his artworks to raise funds for various causes.

Within months of his arrival to Miami art scene, art historian and former Miami Herald art critic Helen Kohen wrote about Josignacio's dedication to help raise money for AIDS patients of Genesis Project in 1990, six months after his arrival to the United States. and Dolores C. Smithies.

Since 1996, Josignacio has been a fundraiser for the Miami Children's Hospital. He has also worked on behalf of earthquake victims and hurricane victims. In 2017, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of his painting Smooth Guitar was donated to aid those affected by Hurricane Irma.

Public art

Tree of Life 2011. Public art triptych featured in Asbury Park Transportation Center, Asbury Park, NJ.

In 2011, Josignacio produced an 8-foot x 12 foot mural titled Tree of Life in Asbury Park, New Jersey. This triptych represents a convergence of the past, present and future, to create an image of humanity, and is dedicated to the children of Asbury Park. Tree of Life is permanently located at the Asbury Park Transportation Center on Main Street in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Tree of Life was the first artwork to be exhibited in the Asbury Park Transportation Center

In 2017, Josignacio donated a diptych of José Martí to the permanent collection of the Biblioteca Nacional de Cuba José Martí (the José Martí National Library of Cuba). and 2016, as well as number 294 of the Top 1000 Contemporary Artists in 2020.

On December 23, 2014, Josignacio's The Three Wisest Monkeys (1991) was sold for a hammer price of $720,000 at Pangaea Auction House in Las Vegas, Nevada, and set Josignacio as the highest achieved auction price by a living Cuban artist globally, surpassing Tomás Sánchez who previously held the record at $540,000. The Three Wisest Monkeys. Sold for US$720,000 in Las Vegas on December 23, 2014.

In 2015, nine of Josignacio's works collectively attained a total of $2,152,500 at auction.

On March 10, 2016, Josignacio's The Music is Timeless (1989), another of his Guitar series, sold for a hammer price of US$3,481,205.00 at McCarthy-Williams Auctions in London. He has also been commissioned to design the cover illustration for books.

His art corporation is filed and registered in the state of Florida. It was initially launched as Josignacio Art Studio, Inc. in 1994 and based in Coral Gables.

In 2021, the firm was reorganized and relaunched as Josignacio Art Studio LLC. and is now based in Miami Beach. Cuban Museum of Arts and Culture as well as several Miami art galleries.

2016 - China and its Popular Culture at the Culture Pavilion of the Expocuba which was dedicated to celebrate the 169th anniversary of the arrival of Chinese people to Cuba. Notably, this was the first exhibition of Josignacio in Cuba after working in the US for more than 26 years. The exhibition depicted the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac. Additionally, there was an interpretation of the fenghuang, a koi fish, a butterfly, and a panda bear. The opening words of the exhibition were held by the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Havana, Cuba, Mr. Zhang Tuo. 2016 - De Douceur Á Intense was personally commissioned for the 25th Anniversary of the International Ballet Festival of Havana in October 2016, by the historically revered prima ballerina assoluta and founder of the Cuban National Ballet, Alicia Alonso. This twenty-one painting exhibition from Josignacio's "Dance Series" captured both dramatic and poignant moments from the most relevant classical ballets, including Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote and Carmen. The exhibition was held in "La Sala Ernesto Lecuona," at the Gran Teatro de La Habana, Cuba. 2017 - El Renacer del Ave Fénix (Rebirth of the Phoenix) to celebrate the new Chinese year 2017 "Fire Rooster" (28 January -15 February 2018) Commissioned by its director Dr. Teresa Li, this Josignacio exhibition was held in Casa de las Artes y Tradiciones Chinas (House of Arts and Chinese Traditions), in the heart of Havana's Chinatown. The opening words of the exhibition were given by Mr. Chen Xi , the new Ambassador of the People's Republic of China and ethnologist and author, Dr. Natalia Bolívar. Cuban government representatives were also present at the opening. The key artwork of this exhibition, Fenix, a part of Josignacio's "Signs Series," was acquired by Casa de las Artes y Tradiciones Chinas (House of Arts and Chinese Traditions), Havana, Cuba, for public display in its permanent collection. 2017 - For the 75th Anniversary of Havana's renown La Bodeguita del Medio as part of the festivities to commemorate this event, an acquisition of Josignacio's work titled Mojito, a semi-figurative painting depicting this traditional drink, was included and is now on permanent display. 2017 – Siete Adagios para Safo y Ganimedes ("Seven Adagios for Sappho and Ganymede") Despite the controversy of homosexuality's delicate theme in communist Cuba, a collection of Josignacio's seven neo-figurative large format Guitars, curated by journalist and writer, Yoel Almaguer de Armas and Lic. in Art History, Diana Rosa Crespo, was exhibited in the Karl Marx Theatre. Along with Josignacio's signature forms and colors, the selection was specifically chosen to represent the seven colors of the rainbow, symbolic of the colors of the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) flag, which characterizes the world LGBTQ movement. The Rainbow Flag, also known as the LGBTQ flag, has represented gay and lesbian communities since the late 1970s. The flag was designed by artist Gilbert Baker and popularized in 1978. These artworks are part of Josignacio's extensive series of Guitars called “Rainbow Guitars.” He did this exhibition in support of equal rights and the acceptance of those discriminated against in his native homeland. Led by Mariela Castro Espin, head of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX), the exhibition was intended to signal the Cuban government's intention to open up human rights issues. The reason for Josignacio's exhibition title "Seven Adagios for Sappho and Ganymede" is that the musical term adagio indicates that music is to be played slowly, reminding us of the same slow process of LGBTQ acceptance and its two primary characters. The real Sappho of Mytilene, also known as Sappho of Lesbos, was a Greek poet who has historically been identified by many as the symbol of female homosexuality. The mythological Ganymede became the lover of the God Zeus. 2021 - Art Basel Miami 2021, Miami Beach FL. 2025 - Prelude: An Introduction to the Permanent Collection, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa FL 2016 - "Plastic Paint Medium: una revolución tecno-pictórica creada en Cuba" 2017 - "Siete guitarras contra la homofobia y la transfobia" by Lic. in Art History, Journalist and writer Yoel Almaguer de Armas and Lic. in Art History Diana Rosa Crespo 2017 - "El Martí de Josignacio" 2017 - An extraordinary artistic product "Un extraordinario producto artístico" by Nathalie Sánchez. Published November 6, 2017 Tribuna de La Habana 2017 - "Martí visto por Josignacio". 2017 - "Visiones de Martí" 2017 - "Martí visto por Josignacio en el alma del arte que acrisola y enaltece" 2018 - "La identidad de un creador" by Nathalie Mesa 2018 - “El Martiano Josignacio” 2018 - "Martí vs Dos Ríos" Painting of Josignacio selected to illustrate the cover and back cover of the Volume 1 (2018) of the National Library of Cuba's magazine