A exposition which reviews the work of the renowned Cuban designer Félix Juan Alberto Beltrán Concepción (1938-2022) opened its doors from this Friday until March 16 at the Complutense Art Center of Madrid (C arte C).
The sample titled Félix Beltrán: Visual intelligence. Design in a social sense It is the first analog exhibition dedicated to the renowned designer and has been curated by Sonia Díaz and Gabriel Martínez, according to a note published on the Facebook profile of Experience Magazine.
“C arte c hosts the first anthological exhibition on the most universal Ibero-American graphic illustrator, Félix Beltrán” article by @TribunaComplu https://t.co/e8fqnvHO8n #FelixBeltrán #ArteUCM #soyculturaucm pic.twitter.com/vUZT8h8byC
– Complutense Culture (@culturacomplu) January 20, 2023
The selection presents hundreds of his logos, posters and book covers, “offering a deep insight into the conceptual and creative mind of the most universal Ibero-American graphic designer,” adds the information.
“This is a well-deserved tribute to Félix Beltrán and we hope it will be both an inspiration for graphic designers and an important resource for anyone interested in learning about the global development of graphic design in the 20th century”, commented the organizers.
The exhibition was promoted by the Office of the Vice President for Culture, Sports and University Extension of the Complutense University of Madrid. It is the result of an investigation that began in 2008 and is collected in the books Felix Beltrán Visual Intelligence Y Félix Beltrán Always the designwhich provide background information, trace design processes, and convey historical context through their sources.
The publication considers Félix Beltrán “one of the most important Ibero-American graphic designers” and highlights that for more than six decades he shaped “a conceptual approach to graphic design that emphasizes simplicity as a fundamental principle of effective visual communication.”
Beltrán is considered by specialists “the father of the Cuban cartel”. He developed an important career as a graphic designer, painter, draftsman and engraver.
Thanks to his talent for drawing, he took his first steps as a designer in an advertising agency. He studied in the late 1950s at various American schools of visual arts and design, where he was influenced by modernism.
However, he managed to shape his own style based on simplicity as the foundation of effective visual communication, according to those who have studied his work.
He returned to Cuba, and together with designers such as Eduardo Muñoz Bachs, Antonio Pérez, Raúl Martínez and Alfredo Rostgaard, he joined an advertising office in charge of creating posters and publicity pieces for the new government.
Together with this team, he created iconic pieces of Cuban political posters and posters, such as the duotone illustration of Che Guevara (based on the photograph of Alberto Korda) or the campaign for the release of Angela Davis.
He also developed an important career as a teacher in design and art institutions in Cuba and abroad, and was part of juries at prestigious events. She also received numerous recognitions for his artistic and academic work, including three Honoris Causa Doctorates and honorary membership of various international designer associations.
At the time of his death (December 28, 2022) he was 84 years old. Several of his works can be found in permanent collections in the United States, France, Denmark, Russia, Switzerland, and Chile.
