Multiverse vision of a Cuban painter

Havana, Friday, 10 June 2016 – The researcher in charge of the project FMCR is pleased to announce findings on the aesthetic evolution of the contemporary Cuban painter Fidel Micó between 1999 and 2000. The most relevant clue seems to be placed around the painting Río de aromas (50 x 70 cm, oil on canvas, 1999, USA private collector, New Jersey, USA.) taking into account a short communication published by Micó in his virtual gallery hosted at the web site ArtsCad. In a brief statement entitled “Spirits of the tropical wood”, the artist wrote: “In autumn of 1999, I was travelling in my island being almost sure that I would find a natural landscape comparable with those painted by Iván Ivánovich Shishkin (1832 – 1898). I was sure that I have seen similar woods in some place of my country, but rather I found something different. A place plenty of idyllic smells appeared in the way and it was unavoidable stopping to enjoy it. Suddenly, I felt out of the real world. I felt that I was looking to the world from other world. At the beginning, a massive fear takes me, but I overcame it by deciding to explore this new perception of the existence”. Later, Micó wrote: “I decided painting Río de aromas in the hope of trapping in my canvas, at least, a small part of the air suspended over the river”.

During the research project, Buxadó reported to a peer-reviewed journal from University of Chicago: “Micó’s style has evolved constantly. If several paintings from the same year are compared, one can find a continuous experimentation on issues of composition. The apparently simple landscapes Al cantío de un gallo (95 x 130 cm, oil on canvas, 2000, unknown location), Amanecer en la sierra (95 x 130 cm, oil on canvas, 2000, unknown location), and Camino a la laguna (95 x 130 cm, oil on canvas, 2000, unknown location) show his ability to change the position of a single tree and a few palms with different intentions” (Art Documentation, 2015, 34 (2): 349-353). However, later examinations of the three artworks painted in 2000 and Río de aromas, painted in 1999, revealed the actual aesthetic game of the artist after an impressive spiritual experience. It seems to be obvious that he received the impact of a special kind of inspiration force, and probably he tried to represent his perceptions in more than one painting. Looking to the four paintings as a whole, the compositional experiment seems to be far beyond the initial interpretation published in Art Documentation. He also included different positions of the river, as a third compositional element, which suggests a multiverse thought line during the painting process that could be useful for further examination and appraisal of Micó’s works and other pieces painted by contemporary Cuban artists.

The project FMCR is an exceptional opportunity to study the painting of an artist with special natural gifts. New evidences found during the study include: 5 images of oil on canvas painted in 2015, additional details on the provenance of 11 artworks, the expansion of his market to The Netherlands, 5 additional peer-reviewed publications, examinations in the original of 33 oil on canvas, and 3 new images on authenticity. A recent exhibition in Mexico City, the book “The silence smell”, the public auction at Ruby Lane Inc, the growing international visibility of his son Michel Micó, a formidable painter, and recent historical events in Cuba have confirmed the fair market value of his paintings.

Although at present there is not perceptible marketing activity on the artworks painted by Fidel Micó, the fair market value of his paintings could be estimated at 4 000 USD/m2. Auction records of landscapes painted by the contemporary Cuban artists Tomás Sánchez and Ernesto Estévez, after moderate to low marketing activity, suggest that a similar level of promotion with Micó’s paintings will result in a total market of 18 million USD by the year 2027, and a rate of return well above the generally accepted value of 9% for Latin American Fine Art (Economia, 2004, 4 (2): 1-35). The present owner of the painting Río de aromas is the Industrial Engineer Yaneldys Garcés Morales (e-mail: nuevav2012@yahoo.com) who is waiting for the best offer.

The Fidel Micó Catalogue Raisonnée is a research project opened to explore the artist’s work in the last 40 years. The project began 5 years ago from informal interviews at the artist’s studio, and has received particular attention from international organization for art research.

José A. Buxadó, MSc.
Rodríguez Nº 14, entre Maboa y Rabí, apto 1,
Rpto. Santos Suárez, Municipio 10 de Octubre,
La Habana, Cuba.
e-mail: jose.acosta@cigb.edu.cu

This release was published on openPR.