Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
An interview of Cuban born painter José Bedia conducted 1998 February 13, by Juan A. Martínez, in Bedia's studio/home, Miami, Florida, for the Archives of American Art.
Scope and Contents
Bedia discusses his early inclination toward drawing and interest in cartooning; receiving rigorous academic training at San Alejandro Art Academy in Havana and being introduced also to non-western art; attending graduate school at the Instituto Superior del Arte, 1976-1981; participating upon graduation in the Volumen I exhibition which was a turning point for Cuban artists; travel outside of Cuba to Budapest via Berlin, to New York, to an Indian reservation in the Southwest where he became acquainted with North American native art and artists, and to Angola with the Cuban military, where he came into contact with African roots of Cuban culture; moving to Mexico City and then to Miami; his art and inspirations; religion; his collection of African and American Indian art; and exhibitions in which he has participated.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Archives of American Art
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Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions