José Cestero (painter)

José Cestero
Born(1937-03-19)19 March 1937
Santo Domingo, Dominica
Died16 July 2025(2025-07-16) (aged 88)
NationalityDominican
Occupation(s)Draftsman, painter

José Cestero (19 March 1937 – 16 July 2025) was a Dominican draftsman and painter. He studied at the National School of Fine Arts of the Dominican Republic (ENBA), graduating in 1954.[1][2] Throughout his career, he developed a distinctive style that integrated urban and spiritual elements into his works, characterized by his use of drawing and painting.

Life and career

Cestero was a student of renowned masters such as Joseph Fulop, Gilberto Hernández Ortega, and José Gausachs. A year later, he moved to the United States, where he continued his artistic training and became considered one of the most outstanding draftsmen in that field.

In 1960, he returned to the Dominican Republic, and after the overthrow of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo's dictatorship, Cestero combined his creative talent with that of visual artists Silvano Lora, José Ramírez Conde, Iván Tovar, and Ada Balcácer, forming the avant-garde group known as "Art and Liberation."

He received several awards both in the Dominican Republic and abroad and participated in several international exhibitions, including the 17th International Painting Festival at the Château-Musée de Cagnes-sur-Mer, in France, and the First Italian-Latin American Biennial of Graphic Arts, held in Rome.[3][4]

His artistic production was recognized both in the country and abroad, and in 2015 he received the National Prize for Plastic Arts, the main recognition granted by the Dominican State in that field. His work is part of the national artistic heritage and continues to be studied and exhibited in various cultural spaces.[5][6]

On 16 July 2025, Cestero died at his residence, at the age of 88.[7]

Exhibitions

Group exhibitions (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)

  • 2004 'Tropical Paintings Paint Their Country'
  • 2003 'Tropical Paintings Paint Their Country'
  • 2002 'Dominican Proverbs', sponsored by Banco del Reservas Individual

Exhibitions (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)

  • 2005 'Wanderings of Don Quixote', Dominican Museum of Modern Art (MAM)
  • 2005 'Tribute and Landscape', French Embassy
  • 2001 'Six Faces', El Espacio Art Gallery
  • 2000 'Two Faces', El Espacio Art Gallery
  • 1999 'Ten Faces', El Espacio Art Gallery Space[8]

References

  1. ^ Libre, Diario (16 July 2025). "Plastic artist José Cestero, master of Dominican painting, dies". Diario Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Dominican painter José Cestero died at the age of 88". Acento (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  3. ^ José Cestero at Latin Art Museum .
  4. ^ Biography of José Cestero from Galería Arte Dominicana.
  5. ^ "José Cestero, pillar of Dominican modern art, dies at 88 – El Nuevo Diario (Dominican Republic)". elnuevodiario.com.do (in Spanish). 16 July 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  6. ^ News, R. C. (16 July 2025). "Fallece The prominent Dominican painter José Cestero at 88 years old" (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2025. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ Diario, Listin (16 July 2025). "José Cestero, the emblematic master of Dominican painting, dies". listindiario.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  8. ^ Catalog: "Wanderings of Don Quixote, José Cestero." Curated by Verónica Sensión, Curated by Amable López Meléndez, Museography by Fabián Goncálves (OAS), Photography by Monalisa de la Rosa. Printed by Friend of the Home, Santo Domingo, D.R. Washington, United States, 12 October 2005.
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