Bonhams and Fundación Mariano Rodríguez Publish Digital Catalogue for Modern Cuban Painters

Bonhams (New York) and Fundación Mariano Rodríguez released the digital catalogue for the exhibition "Modern Cuban Painters: From Havana to New York". The exhibition and catalogue, published online 2 February 2026 and scheduled

The catalogue launch precedes a compact New York program that reunites a generation of mid-20th-century Cuban modernists for public viewings and related sales displays. The 111 Gallery presentation, running February 9 – March 6, 2026, is billed as a curated reappraisal of the 1944 MoMA moment. "Presented in collaboration with Fundación Mariano Rodríguez, Modern Cuban Painters from Havana to New York: The Exhibition, pays tribute to the Museum of Modern Art's (MoMA) landmark 1944 exhibition Modern Cuban Painters – a seminal moment when Cuban modern art broke through the U.S. cultural landscape – this exhibition re‑envisions that historic show for a contemporary audience."

111 Gallery says the installation brings back works that have not been seen publicly in decades. "In a rare gathering, the presentation reunites for the first time in more than 80 years a remarkable selection of MoMA's 1944 exhibition, curated alongside paintings once exhibited in influential New York galleries of the 1940s and not seen publicly in decades. Ephemera drawn from private collections and archival research will also be on view, offering rare insight into the artistic networks that shaped Cuban modernism at its peak." Named artists include Wifredo Lam (1902–1982), Mario Carreño (1913–1999), Cundo Bermúdez (1914–2008), Mariano Rodríguez (1912–1990), and Amelia Peláez (1896–1968), among others.

The digital catalogue and tied programming also foreground a print publication from Fundación Mariano Rodríguez that marks the 80th anniversary of MoMA’s 1944 exhibition and the 1944 book Pintura Cubana de Hoy. "Published by the Fundación Mariano Rodríguez, 'Modern Cuban Painters: From Havana to New York,' commemorates the 80th anniversary of both the historic exhibition 'Modern Cuban Painters' at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as well as the seminal book 'Pintura Cubana de Hoy.' Featuring essays by scholars Elizabeth Thompson-Goizueta and Luz Merino Acosta, as well as curator Susanna Temkin, and a chronology by Cristina Figueroa, this publication examines New York’s role as a cultural hub that welcomed prominent Cuban modernists like Lam, Carreño, Cundo, Mariano, and Amelia into a dynamic space of intercultural dialogue." Events tied to the launch will be presented in English and Spanish.

Alongside the curatorial program, Bonhams is staging market-facing activity in New York throughout February. Highlights from Bonhams’ February online sales - Modern & Contemporary Cuban Art Online and Modern & Contemporary Art Online - are on view, and the auction house plans a high-profile piano, estimated at $250,000 – $350,000, to "anchor the opening celebrations with a series of guest performances, before being offered in the forthcoming Masters of Pop sale." The Masters of Pop sale runs online April 23 – May 7, 2026. Separately, 1793 Gallery is showing "New York Modern: The Evan Lobel Collection" February 9 – 19, 2026, and a major work by Osman Hamdi Bey (1842–1910) will be on view in New York February 9–12 ahead of its Bonhams New Bond Street auction on March 25, 2026.

For readers tracking Cuban art - collectors, curators, and community historians - the digital catalogue and linked exhibitions offer renewed access to archival networks and a concrete anniversary frame for scholarship and collecting. The program reconnects works long absent from U.S. galleries with public viewings, bilingual programming, and a sales calendar that keeps the conversation between museums, markets, and Cuban artistic legacies active through spring.