Bio

Cesar Santos (b. 1982), Cuban-American

Cesar Santos (b. 1982), Cuban-American.

Cesar Santos is a Cuban-American artist, born in Santa Clara, Cuba and brought up in Miami, Florida. He studied at the New World School of the Arts in Florida, followed by a period training in Florence. Subsequently, Santos moved to New York City, immersing himself in the vibrant art scene. While in New York, he received first prize in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s photography competition, ‘It’s Time We Met’.

Santos work has been exhibited in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia, including at the Museum of Art and Design, Miami; Palazzo Cipolla, Rome; the Villa Bardini Museum, Florence; National Gallery, Costa Rica; and the Beijing World Art Museum, China. His work features in the collections of significant institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sicily, the New Salem Museum and Academy of Fine Art in Massachusetts, and the Museum of Design in Miami.

Santos currently lives and works in Florence, Italy and he is represented by Robilant+Voena Gallery.

Solo Shows

    2023
  • InFormal, Sept 21st - Oct 27th, Robilant+Voena Gallery, Milan, Italy.
2019
  • PAGES, Dec 7th - Dec 21st, Maxwell Alexander Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
    • 2018
  • SYNCRETISM, Apr 14th - 30th, Maxwell Alexander Gallery, Miami, FL.
      • 2015
    • CESAR SANTOS Drawings, Sep 10th - Oct 6th, Waltman Ortega Fine Art, Miami, FL.
      2013
    • THE ARTIST'S ACCOMPLICE, Jan 24th - Feb 23rd , Oxenberg Fine Arts, Miami, FL.
      2011
    • PAISAJES y RETRATOS, Dec 6th - 20th, National Gallery, San Jose, Costa Rica.
      2011
    • SYNCRETISM, Oct 27th - Nov 26th, Eleanor Ettinger Chelsea, New York, NY.
      2011
    • BEYOND REALISM, Apr 7th - 9th, Oxenberg Fine Arts, Miami, FL.
      2010
    • NEW IMPRESSIONS, Mar 5th - 29th, Greenhouse Gallery, San Antonio, TX.
      2008
    • FAREWELL, Apr 30th - Jun 29th, Cernuda Arte, Coral Gables, FL.
      2007
    • BALLERINAS, Aug 31st - Sept 15th, Tower Theater, Miami, FL.

    Group Exhibitions

      2023
    • IPOTESI METAVERSO, Apr. 5th - July 23rd, Palazzo Cipolla, Roma.
    2020
  • FRIENDSHIP AND WHAT WE FIND IN THE COMMONALITIES OF OUR DIFFERENCES, Nov 20th - Dec 30th, 5.Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
      • 2019
    • ART WYNWOOD, Feb 11th - Feb 15th , Miami, FL.
    • PARADIGM SHIFT, Mar 29th - May 31st, M.A.S. Gallery, Miami, FL.
    • CORPO A CORPO, Oct 26th – Jan 12th, Villa Bardini Museum, Firenze, Italy
      2018
    • ART MIAMI, Dec 4th - 9th, Miami, FL.
    • OASI, Nov 24th - Mar 17th 2019, Mac,N Museo di Arte Contemporanea e del Novecento, Pistoia, Italy.
    • ART WYNWOOD, Feb 15th - 19th, Miami, FL.
    • LA ART SHOW, Jan 10th - 14th, LA Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA.
      2017
    • ART MIAMI, Dec 5th - 10th, Miami, FL.
    • PRIMA MOSTRA INTERNAZIONALE DI PASTELLO IN ITALIA, Oct 18th - 31st, Scuderie Estensi, Tivoli.
    • FIVE AND UNDER, Aug 12th - 31st, Arcadia Contemporary, Culver City, CA.
    • ART WYNWOOD, Feb 16th - 20th, Miami, FL.
      2016
    • "12 BY 12 IN 12", Dec 10th - 31st, Arcadia Contemporary, Culver City, CA.
    • SCOPE, Nov 29th - Dec 4th, Miami Beach, FL.
    • ART MIAMI, Nov 29th - Dec 5th, Miami, FL.
    • ART WYNWOOD, Feb 11th - 15th, Miami, FL.
      2015
    • CONTEXT Art Miami, Dec 2nd - 7th, Miami, FL.
    • ART MIAMI-New York, May 14th - 17th, Pier 94, New York City, NY.
    • ART WYNWOOD, Feb 12th - 16th, Art Wynwood Pavilion, Miami, FL.
    • ART PALM BEACH, Jan 21st - 25th, Palm Beach County Convention Center, Palm Beach, FL.
      2014
    • COSMIC CONNECTION, Dec 2nd - 7th, Concept Art Fair (Art Basel Week), Miami, FL.
    • FIXATION, Apr 18th - May 11th, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL.
    • PAPER HEARTS, Feb 13th, MDC Museum of Art+Design, Miami, FL.
    • ART PALM BEACH, Jan 23rd - 27th, Palm Beach County Convention Center, Palm Beach, FL.
    • MIA ART FAIR, Jan 16th - 20th, Downtown Miami aboard Seafair, Miami, FL.
      2013
    • ART WYNWOOD, Feb 14th - 18th, The Art Miami Pavilion, Miami, FL.
    • INCOGNITO, Jan 31st, Naples Museum of Art, Naples, FL.
    • LA FINE ART SHOW, Jan 23rd - 27th, LA Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA.
      2012
    • WORLD OF ART SHOWCASE, Dec 20th - 22nd, Wynn Las Vegas, NV.
    • FAN FOREVER, Sept 20th - Nov 2nd, MDC Museum of Art+Design, Miami, FL.
    • CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN REALISM, Sept 15th - Nov 4th, Beijing World Art Museum, Beijing, China.
    • AMERICAN FIGURATIVE, Jun 1st - Jul 8th, Albemarle Gallery, London,UK.
    • NUDE, Mar 30th - Apr 28th, Albemarle Gallery, London, UK.
    • THE FIGURE IN AMERICAN ART: fifteenth annual exhibition, Feb 9th - Mar 31st, Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York, NY.
    • ART PALM BEACH, Jan 20th - 23rd, Palm Beach County Convention Center, Palm Beach, FL.
      2011
    • ACOPAL Members Show, Dec 18th - Feb 27th, The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio.
    • INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION, Nov 28th - Jan 27th, Nina Torres Fine Arts, Miami, FL.
    • SALON INTERNATIONAL, Apr 2nd - 22nd, Greenhouse Gallery, San Antonio, TX.
      2010
    • CHAMPIONS OF REALISM, Dec 2nd - Jan 4th, Wendt Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA.
    • MAS ALLA DEL REALISMO, Nov 18th - Dec 3rd, Galeria Arte Libre, Zaragoza, Spain.
    • RED DOT, Nov 30th- Dec 4th, Cavalier Galleries, Wynwood Art District, FL.
    • GREAT AMERICAN FIGURATIVE, Nov 20th, Waterhouse Gallery, Santa Barbara, NY.
    • ARTHAMPTONS, Jul 9th - 11th, Sayre Park, Bridgehampton, NY.
    • ANNIGONI’S LEGACY, May 13th - 30th, Villa Bardini, Florence, Italy.
    • ARTE AMÉRICAS, The Latin American Art Fair, Mar 26th - 29th, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL.
    • ART & ANTIQUE SHOW, Feb 13th - 16th, Cavalier Galleries, Palm Beach, FL.
    • REVIVING REALISM, Contemporary Masters of the Classical Tradition, Jan 22nd - Feb 7th, Cavalier Galleries, Greenwich, Connecticut.
      2009
    • ABSTRACTOMICINA, Nov 30th - Jan 30th, Cremata Gallery, Miami, FL.
    • SALON INTERNATIONAL 2009, Apr 10th - 30th, Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, San Antonio, TX.
    • ARTE AMÉRICAS, The Latin American Art Fair, Mar 26th – 29th, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL.
      2008
    • ARTE AMÉRICAS, The Latin American Art Fair, Mar 22nd – 25th,Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL.
    • LA FABBRICA DEI SOGNI, Jan 19th - Feb 17 th, Casa del Mantegna, Mantova, Italy.
      2007
    • INTERNATIONAL CARIBBEAN ART FAIR, Nov, Puck Building, New York,NY.
    • ArtDC, Jun 1st –3 rd, Washington Convention Center, DC.
    • CIRCA, Mar 30 th - Apr 2 nd, Puerto Rico Convention Center, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
    • ARTE AMÉRICAS, The Latin American Art Fair, March, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL.
    • ART OFF THE MAIN, Oct, New York, NY.
    • ART MIAMI, January 5th- 8th, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL.
      2006
    • SPRING SHOW, Galleria di San Niccolò, Florence, Italy. Curated by Jered Woznicki.
    • FLORENCIMIENTO, Apr 26th, Uffizi Center, Florence, Italy. Organized by Lina Martinez.

    Bibliography (Reviews*)

      2019
    • American Art Collector, (Issue 170), Magazine Cover and “Under the Hood” by Michael Clawson. *
    • Gateways to Drawing, A Complete Guide, (Chapter 16) by Stephen C.P. Gardner.
    • Portray Magazine, NO.3, "Cesar Santos, Making Renaissance Rock" by Donnalynn Patakos.*
      2018
    • VoyageMIA Magazine, (August 30th), "Art & Life with Cesar Santos".*
    • American Art Collector, (April Issue), "Cesar Santos, Transposing the Past".*
      2017
    • The Epoch Time, (Nov 3rd - 9th), "Artist Cesar Santos Relies on Old Masters Techniques to Reach a Higher Level of Expression" by Tim Gebhart.*
    • La Gaceta, (April 14th), "Reencuentro con el maestro Cesar Santos" by Leonardo Venta.*
      2016
    • The Boston Globe, (July 27th), "Artists face off in grueling Boston figure-painting competition" by Malcolm Gay.
      2015
    • El Nuevo Herald, (Sep 27th), "Cesar Santos, a puro pincel" by Aldo Menendez.*
    • The Artist's Magazine, October Issue, "Culture Clash" by Louise B. Hafesh.*
    • The Artist's Magazine, October Issue, Cover "Subconscious Mind".
    • Conexiones International, August Issue, "Cesar Santos: clasico, romantico y humanista" by Edith Monge Silva.*
      2014
    • The Artist's Magazine, December Issue, Annual Art Competition.
    • The Moth, Arts and Literature Magazine, Issue 18 Autumn, Cover "Cosmic Connection".
      2013
    • Miami Herald, (Feb 3rd), "In the galleries: Cesar Santos" by John Coppola.*
      2012
    • Neon, Las Vegas Review-Journal, (Dec 21 st-27 th), “Off the Walls” by Carol Cling.
    • American Art Collector, (Dec 2012), “Melding Past and Present”.*
    • American Artist, (Sep 2012), “Home Alone, Self-portrait Competition”.*
    • American Arts Quarterly, (Winter 2012), Cover “Password”.
    • American Arts Quarterly, (Winter 2012), “Exhibitions: Syncretism, Cesar Santos”.*
      2011
    • La Nacion Newspaper, (Dec 1, 2011), Review by Cristina Mora Jiliuta.*
    • Syncretism, (Oct 2011), Article by American Art Collector.*
    • American Artist, (Oct 2011), Art Competition by James Duncan.
      2010
    • Poets and Artists, (July 2010), Q&A by Grace Cavalieri.*
    • Fine Art Connoiseur Magazine, (April 2010),”Enchantress”-New Impressions.
    • American Art Collector Magazine, (March 2010), “Partigiano Savonese”.
      2008
    • Celebrating 25 Years, Miami International Film Festival Catalogue.
    • La Fabrica dei Sogni, Grandi Artisti alle Ceramiche San Giorgio di Albisola.
    • 4th Annual Competition Catalogue, Art Renewal Center International Salon.
      2007
    • Galeria, El Nuevo Herald (Aplausos). Article by Arturo Arias-Polo, September 6th.*
    • The Real and Surreal, Miami Dade College Forum, Volume eleven, September-November.*
    • Diario Las Americas, numero 157. Article by Emilio J. Lopez, photo by Juan Juig. January 7th.*
      2004
    • Rebambaramba: de fiesta la poesia, El Nuevo Herald (Aplausos). Article by Olga Connor.*
      2003
    • Metropolis Newspaper, Volume 33, Cover, Miami Dade College.

    Awards and Honors

    • Florida’s Feature Artist for Hispanic Heritage Month, Office of the First Lady DeSantis, September, 2021
    • Grand Prize and People's Choice Award, Academy of Realist Art Boston Figure Painting Competition, Boston, MA, 2016.
    • First Prize, Cosmic Connection, Concept Art Fair (Art Basel Week), Miami, FL, 2014.
    • First Prize, Grand Central Academy Portrait Sketch Competition, New York, NY, 2013.
    • Miami Dade College Hall of Fame Award, 2013.
    • Grand Prize Winner, ACOPAL’s open competition, “Out of the Square”, 2011.
    • 10 Cover Contest Winners, American Artist Magazine, “Temperance”, 2011.
    • First Place, Southwest Art Magazine, 21 under 31 Competition, “Young Versed”, 2010.
    • First Place, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, It’s Time We Met Contest, “Dancers”, New York, 2010.