CINTAS Foundation honors professor with lifetime achievement award


The CINTAS Foundation has named Juan A. Martínez, professor emeritus in FIU’s Department of Art and Art History as the organization’s 2018 lifetime achievement honoree.

The Cintas Foundation was established in 1957 with funds from the estate of the late Oscar B. Cintas, a former Cuban ambassador to the United States and a prominent industrialist and patron of the arts. Cintas fellowships acknowledge creative accomplishments and encourage the development of creative artists in architecture and design, literature, music composition and visual arts.

Martínez’s book, María Brito, explores the art and personal iconography of the prominent Cuban-born American sculptor and installation artist.

Martínez is an art historian specializing in European and Cuban Modern Art. He is the author of “Cuban Art & National Identity: The Vanguardia Painters 1927-1950,” “Carlos Enríquez: The Painter of Cuban Ballads” and “María Brito.” He has also published numerous book chapters and essays in exhibition catalogues. Currently, he is working on a monograph on one of the pioneers of Cuban modern painting – Fidelio Ponce de León.

During his career, Martinez has demonstrated innovation, creativity and mastery in his discipline at a national and international level, having a positive impact on Cuban culture and the visual arts.

Until now, the CINTAS Foundation had never given a Lifetime Achievement Award or Fellowship to someone whose career was spent solely in academia.

“The Cintas Foundation has been helping Cuban artists, musicians, architects and writers who live outside of Cuba since 1963. It is the only foundation of its kind and has a long track record. I am honored to have been chosen for a Lifetime Achievement Award by this organization,” said Martinez.

“I would also like to thank FIU, the Department of Art and Art History and the Cuban Research Institute for their support with my teaching, research and publications, for which I am being honored.”

A reception and awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at the University of Miami’s Lowe Art Museum. An exhibition will also feature works by Martínez and CINTAS Fellowship finalists beginning on Oct. 3.

Below view a list for the 2018-2019 CINTAS Fellowship Competition finalists.

CINTAS Architecture & Design finalists:
Javier Galindo, Ricardo López, Julia Sarduy (FIU Architecture)

CINTAS Brandon Fradd Music Composition finalists:
Louis Franz Aguirre, Armando Bayolo, Sabrina Pena Young

CINTAS Knight Foundation Visual Arts finalists:
Nestor Arenas, Javier Castro, Rigoberto Díaz, Tomas Esson, Alan Gutierrez, Aurora Molina, Emilio Perez, Grethell Rasua, Emanuel Ribas, Evelyn Rydz

For more information about the CINTAS program, visit www.cintasfoundation.org.

By Andrea Perez


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