Agustín Fernández: The Alluring Power of Ambiguity

Through meticulous brushwork and enigmatic forms, one artist challenged the conventions of Cuban modernism while exploring themes of exile and identity. Agustín Fernández: The Alluring Power of Ambiguity, on view at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU from February 15, 2025, through January 4, 2026, presents over 65 works by the Cuban-born master, including paintings, drawings, collages and previously unseen pieces from private collections. Curated by Elizabeth T. Goizueta with Gabriela Goizueta, this retrospective traces Fernández's artistic evolution from his early training at Havana's San Alejandro academy through his transformative years in Paris, San Juan and New York City. Known for his distinctive monochromatic palette and sophisticated draftsmanship, Fernández created works that merge figuration with abstraction, often incorporating motifs of folded paper, hooks and spikes to explore psychological themes of conflict and contemplation. Building upon the Frost's 1992 retrospective and drawing from its extensive holdings, this exhibition provides new insight into an artist whose work appears in major museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.