Juan Francisco Elso

This small terracotta vessel by Juan Francisco Elso is on view at El Museo del Barrio in New York City as part of Elso’s retrospective, Por America. The Cuban artist, who died of cancer in 1988 at the age of 32, worked in a variety of materials, including fired ceramic. Most of the works on view are sculptural assemblages made of natural materials, and everything resonates with a poetic spirit.

Along with work by Elso (some of the artist’s major pieces don’t travel outside of Cuba) the exhibition includes 45 works by 30 contemporaneous artists. Essentially, the show is simultaneously a retrospective and a group show centered around Elso’s ideas. The result is an illuminating, thoughtful, and beautiful experience—one of the best retrospectives I’ve seen in a while.

The exhibit is up through March 26, 2023 and will then travel to Phoenix and Miami. More about the exhibition at elmuseo.org/elso.

Here’s an article I found about Elso at artnexus.com.