![\"Nicol\u00e1s](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsolido.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/nicolc3a1s-guillen-en-todas-partes-cuecen-habas-2001-acrylic-on-linen-48-x-36e2809d.jpg?resize=723%2C961&ssl=1\")
\u201cArtists and friends\u201d in the Hamlet Collection is the second exhibition presented by The Rodr\u00edguez Collection in collaboration with other\u00a0 <\/span>private collections as part of the program to unveil art that was produced in Cuba and today is preserved outside the island.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As Long as the Sky Whirls, Hamlet will be remembered by his artists and friends. The peculiarity of a vision and an aesthetic taste is what today makes up the magnificent collection. This collection represents more than an identity, but an affirmation of the island\u2019s long tradition of creativity and venerable reputation in the international world of fine arts. The exhibition showcases the work of 25 artists who have reached beyond the boundaries of Cuba. Similarly, the gallery will have a special area dedicated to a group of works by Tom\u00e1s Oliva (Hamlet\u2019s stepfather), artworks that have never been exhibited before and are a part of this great collection. Through \u201cArtists and friends\u201d we can recognize artwork that spans over 40 years and includes a diversity of styles and media, by some of the artists that have established a new course of modernism in the country, to the most outstanding artists of the present day.<\/p>\n These are Hamlet\u2019s friends:<\/p>\n Alejandro Aguilera,\u00a0Ana Albertina,\u00a0Glauber Ballesteros,\u00a0Mario Bencomo,\u00a0Carlos C\u00e1rdenas,\u00a0Consuelo Casta\u00f1eda,\u00a0Humberto Castro,\u00a0Arturo Cuenca,\u00a0Tomas Esson,\u00a0Florencio Gelabert,\u00a0Javier Guerra,\u00a0Nicol\u00e1s Guillen,\u00a0Vladimir Llaguno,\u00a0Alonso Mateo,\u00a0Aldito Menendez,\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Mijares,\u00a0Noel Morera,\u00a0Tomas Oliva,\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Orbein,\u00a0Jorge Perugorr\u00eda,\u00a0Carlos Quintana,\u00a0Cuty Ragazzone,\u00a0Zaida del R\u00edo,\u00a0Jorge L. Trinchet,\u00a0Sergio Vardi.<\/p>\n Henry Ballate M.F.A.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This exhibition is first and foremost a heartfelt tribute from a mother\u2014a great lover of art\u2014Xiomara Almaguer; to her son who left when too many expectations were placed on him, because he was already a part of a movement of young creators, which were also his friends and adventure colleagues; a whole ensemble of artists of the Cuban visual arts, that Hamlet desired to help personally, driving also in some way, the promotion of his works. This is how his private collection was configured, which furthermore includes the names of masters such as Tom\u00e1s Oliva, an essential figure of abstraction who emerged in the 1950s, linked to Hamlet through family ties. Almost the entireties of the 25 names, which make up the recompense of this show, have become an indispensable part of the panorama, with capital letters, of our existing arts. Many of their works today are indispensable models, even at the museum level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Another exceptional figure, researcher and foremost champion of our art, inside and outside of Cuba, Dr. Lillian Llanes\u2014connected to the circumstances of Xiomara and Hamlet\u2014as a friend, has always encouraged the idea of presenting this collection to the public, who receives the conscientious and thoughtful care of Ivonne Ferrer as art restorer and Henry Ballate chief curator of the Kendall Art Center. In which a perfect balance is achieved between the high quality of exponents and the crucial testimonial meaning of a set of pieces, that equally expresses the human bonds between art collector and artist, or between friends; which thus reveals the intense life shared within a given epochal circle, the experiences reflected here, in the same way, united them in the time when Hamlet himself constituted an \u201calternative cultural nexus,\u201d bohemian and savior of debauched nonconformists and singularities outside the margins of norms and conventions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Aldo Men\u00e9ndez.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kendall Art Center (KAC), is dedicated to promoting the work of contemporary artists, and to the exchange of art and ideas throughout the Miami region and internationally. Through an energetic calendar of exhibitions, programs, and its collections, KAC provides an international platform for the work of established and emerging artists, advancing the public appreciation and understanding of the art.<\/p>\n![\"Carlos](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsolido.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/carlos-quintana-una-mujer-con-sus-problemas-2011-mixed-media-on-canvas-60-x-48-22.jpg?resize=723%2C880&ssl=1\")
![\"Aldo](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsolido.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/aldo-menc3a9ndez-la-ejecucic3b3n-de-la-obra-1995-mixed-media-aluminum-acrylic-and-wood-72-x-1122.jpg?resize=723%2C103&ssl=1\")
![\"Consuelo](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsolido.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/consuelo-castac3b1eda-los-secretos-de-fontainebleau-ii-2016-printing-of-canvas-48-x-78e2809d.jpg?resize=723%2C449&ssl=1\")
![\"Oliva,](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/artsolido.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/tomas-oliva-untitled-1991-pastel-on-paper-12-x-1822.jpg?resize=723%2C509&ssl=1\")