Recognized for his work in graphic design and contemporary poster design, Sotolongo was a professor at ISDi and received important international awards and recognitions.
MADRID, Spain.-The Cuban graphic designer, visual artist and professor Claudio Sotolongo died in Havana at the age of 43 this January 1, as confirmed in the last hours by several cultural institutions on the island and people close to the artist. Although some comments on networks mention a heart attack while he was sleeping, the cause of his death has not been confirmed so far.
Born in Havana in 1982 and son of professor Lázara Menéndez, Sotolongo was one of the most recognized figures in contemporary Cuban graphic design and poster art. He graduated from Higher Institute of Design (ISDi), where he later joined the teaching staff for five years: he taught subjects such as History of Design and the Poster Elective.
In addition, he worked as an editorial designer in the Academic Publications Directorate of the University of Havana, combining professional practice with teaching and visual research.
He National Museum of Fine Arts He highlighted that his work was characterized by the exploration of the relationships between image, collective memory and urban space, with a multidisciplinary approach that encompassed engraving, photography and editorial design, supported by references from art history and visual anthropology.
Throughout his career, Sotolongo received important international recognition. He was a double winner of the Rome Prize from the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome (2017 and 2019) and won the Coral Prize for best poster at the 40th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana for the work Last days of a house. He was also a resident artist at the Center for the Development of Visual Arts in Havana with the project X2. work project.
His work was exhibited at events such as the XIV Havana Biennial, the Cuban Salon of Contemporary Art and the Ibero-American Design Biennial in Madrid. His posters were selected in international biennials in cities such as Warsaw, Lublin, Trnava, Gwangju, as well as in Peru and Bolivia, and are part of heritage and academic collections in institutions in Cuba, the United States and Europe, including the Margaret Herrick Library, UCLA, the Cuban Cinematheque and the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich.
Institutions and numerous members of the artistic community have expressed their sadness at his death, with hundreds of comments and publications on social networks highlighting the impact of his work and his contribution to Cuban design and visual arts.
