René Portocarrero

(Cuban, 1912–1985)

René Portocarrero was a Cuban painter whose contour lines and passages of color depicted the tropical environs and women of Havana. There is a distinctive influence of Wifredo Lam’s work in Portocarrero’s paintings. Born on February 24, 1912 in Havana, Cuba, he was largely self-taught. The artist’s first recorded exhibition was in 1934 at the Havana Luceum. Throughout his long career, he produced a plethora of works in different mediums, including sculpture, book illustration, and ceramics. His work garnered him a prize at the 1963 São Paulo Biennial. Portocarrero died on April 7, 1985 in Havana, Cuba. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Belle Artes in Caracas, and the Museo Nacional in Havana.