A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE LEGACY OF ANTONIA EIRIZ
The American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora presents Antonia Eiriz: In the Eye of the Sibyl, an exhibition showcasing the best of the painter’s work from 1960 to 1990, offering an exceptional insight into the creative journey of one of the most controversial and innovative artists in Cuban art of her time.
Curated by art critic Janet Batet, the exhibition features 20 unique and significant artworks on loan from the Latin Art Core gallery and private collections. This is a rare opportunity for the public to see and learn about Antonia Eiriz (Havana, Cuba, 1929 – Florida, USA, 1996).
Eiriz’s story remains relevant today, reflecting how visual artists’ work is shaped by the social and political events surrounding them. She opposed the regime through her art and ultimately stopped painting as an act of resistance. Her influence on her contemporaries and future generations of Cuban artists was profound.
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Antonia Eiriz. Untitled from the Series Monsters,1980s. Ink on paper 36 x 30. Photo credit: Rogelio Lopez Marin. Courtesy of Latin Art Core
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Antonia Eiriz. La Imagen, 1966. Oil on canvas 174 x 228 cm (2). Photo credit: Rogelio Lopez Marin. Courtesy of Latin Art Core
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Antonia Eiriz. Untitled. Ink on Paper 22 x 28 in. Photo credit: Rogelio Lopez Marin. Courtesy of Latin Art Core
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Antonia Eiriz. Los de arriba y los de abajo,1963. Oil-canvas 73 x 77 in. Photo credit: Rogelio Lopez Marin. Courtesy of Latin Art Core
At the age of 23, she held her first exhibition in a collective show led by her mentor, Guido Llinás. She was an honest artist, deeply committed to her values, and her work powerfully captured the harsh reality that transformed Cuban society with the arrival of the 1959 revolution. Through her famous bonsais and artistic work, she portrayed the Cuban people as divided, twisted, and broken by the repression of the Castro regime.
She was closely connected to Los Once (The Eleven), a group that deeply influenced her artistic development. At the same time, she left her own mark on the collective, helping to pave the way for abstract expressionism in Cuba. A talented intellectual and visual artist, she was an active collaborator across artistic disciplines and a staunch defender of her ideas as a free thinker. She refused to accept the new regime’s manipulation and chose to stop painting.
She remained true to her principles, living in self-imposed isolation in her hometown, withdrawn from painting. However, she continued her dedication to theater, literature, and her papier-mâché workshop.
In the 1990s, Antonia Eiriz emigrated to Miami, where she resumed painting and planned two exhibitions. She passed away in 1996 in Miami before the opening of her show. Today, she is regarded as one of the most iconic and significant figures in Cuban art of the 1960s.
Antonia Eiriz: In the Eye of the Sibyl will be on view until April 2025 at The American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, 1200 Coral Way, Miami, FL 33145 (USA).
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