Marcell Felipe is an international tax attorney and corporate lawyer whose list of clients includes heads of state, governments, and industry leaders, among other figures. In addition to his legal Marcell Felipe has extensive experience in spearheading efforts to improve the Miami community, including chairing the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora.
The American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora focuses on showcasing the history, culture, and contributions of the Cuban exile community. As a part of this mission, the Museum routinely holds exhibits that showcase Cuban artists. More recently, the museum showcased the art of famed Cuban artist Rafael Soriano.
Born in 1920, Mr. Soriano began his formal education in painting some years later when he attended the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes for seven years. After earning the title Professor of Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture, he taught visual arts for almost 20 years.
Mr. Soriano later co-founded the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes and later became director of the school that would go onto become one of the most important art institutions outside of Havana. Today, Mr. Soriano is considered to be one of the premier painters in Cuba and a major painter in the Latin American diaspora.
The artist’s work can be described as abstract expressionistic, but biomorphic in that there is a form in each of his pieces, but he leaves it up to the viewer to fill in the blanks as to the subject. Considered an avant-garde painter and a part of the Ten Geometric Painters, his work blends the use of straight lines with softer organic elements.
The Museum exhibit featuring his work was held between December 2019 and April 2020, primarily through a virtual tour that featured 21 paintings whose subjects were heads. The paintings are an extension of Mr. Soriano’s own experience as an exile, representing freedom, identity, and desire.
