34 Facts About Manuel Carbonell

Manuel Carbonell was a Cuban Contemporary and Modern artist, regarded as among the greatest Cuban sculptors of his generation.

Manuel Carbonell was part of the generation of Cuban artists that includes Wifredo Lam and Agustin Cardenas, that studied at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes "San Alejandro", Havana, Cuba.

Manuel Carbonell was born on October 25,1918, in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba.

Manuel Carbonell had two sisters: the older was Josephine and the younger Angela.

Manuel Carbonell's father came from a family of 18 brothers and sisters.

At an early age the family moved to the city of Cienfuegos and Manuel Carbonell went to study at "Monserrat" a primary school in the city.

Manuel Carbonell first realized he wanted to be a sculptor when he was eight or nine years old.

Manuel Carbonell was always making little figures with clay and whenever he found a piece of paper, he would doodle little figures on it.

Manuel Carbonell was 18 years old and barely beginning at San Alejandro when he fell down some stairs.

Manuel Carbonell spent nearly one year partly paralyzed, unable to move easily.

At the Academy, Manuel Carbonell studied under the guidance of Juan Jose Sicre, a former student of Antoine Bourdelle, Rodin's favorite disciple.

In 1945, at the age of 27, Manuel Carbonell graduated with the title of Professor of Drawing and Sculpture.

Manuel Carbonell sculpted a statue of the Virgin Mary for the Association of Catholic University students in Havana.

Manuel Carbonell participated in numerous national competitions and was the recipient of many awards.

Manuel Carbonell worked in various aspects of television and production whereby he won an award in set design for the "Union De La Cronica Tele-Radial Diaria" in the second festival.

Manuel Carbonell was able to explore countries such as Spain, Italy, France and England and understand their unique cultures.

Manuel Carbonell had a high-end luxury boutique of decorative objects, which ultimately provided him with an ulterior motive of a purchasing trip, he was granted a visa to travel to the United States.

Manuel Carbonell arrived in New York City with only his tremendous talent and $200 in cash and initially took up residency at the YMCA.

Manuel Carbonell moved away from his classical and religious period, in Cuba in the late 1940s and 1950s through the commencement and development of his modern expressions of the 1960s.

Manuel Carbonell insisted on meeting Carbonell to see his work and showed up unannounced at his studio in SoHo, that same evening with his wife they purchased their own Carbonell and became long lasting patrons.

In 1960, Manuel Carbonell took in his two nephews, Ricardo aged 15 and Luis aged 13, to live with him in New Jersey to save them from being inducted into Castro's military army.

Manuel Carbonell's first commissioned bronze monument in the United States: A special and personal monumental sculpture during this same time was a composition of a 10-foot in height horse and rider, balanced on two points, which was commissioned by Burt Reynolds of himself for the entrance of the Burt Reynolds Jupiter Theatre, Jupiter, Florida.

Manuel Carbonell was the creator of the award and The Estate of Manuel Carbonell continues to be the major benefactor of the "Carbonell Awards".

In 1976, Manuel Carbonell held a monographic exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum and Art Center, in Miami, Florida, on view at the opening of their newest gallery, where he introduced more than 20 of his latest works.

In 1976 Manuel Carbonell created the "Bicentennial Eagle", which he gifted to the United States of America, during a ceremony on the West Lawn of the White House in honor of the nation's Bicentennial Anniversary.

Manuel Carbonell redefined forms and contours, while maintaining the anatomical essence of the human figure, bringing female sensuality to a point of abstraction, while displaying a sense of aesthetic basic principles in a simplified form.

Manuel Carbonell returned for this commission to his classical period to create the statue.

Manuel Carbonell was selected in a competition in 1992, this was to create one of the largest bronze monuments in the State of Florida, the artwork for Miami's Brickell Avenue Bridge, Miami Florida.

Manuel Carbonell created the 53-foot bronze public monument "The Pillar of History and the Tequesta Family", located mid-span on the bridge.

Between 1996 and 1999, Manuel Carbonell remained in Pietrasanta working on two commissions for monumental sculptures: "El Centinela del Rio", a 21-foot bronze sculpture depicting a Tequesta Indian blowing into a bronze and alabaster conch shell.

Swire Properties and Manuel Carbonell had a unique patronage, not only is there "The Swire Art Trust", there was the "Swire Carbonell Scholarship Fund" for the Florida International University Foundation.

Manuel Carbonell died at Kindred Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida, on November 10,2011, at the age of 93.

Manuel Carbonell was survived by his two sisters, Josefina Gonzalez and Angela Carbonell; niece, Clara Falcon; and nephews, Ricardo and Luis Gonzalez.

The sentiment of having the service take place at Belen was because Manuel Carbonell created and contributed to most everything in the chapel.