185

Belkis Ayón

(1967-1999)

Untitled.

Collagraph on wove paper, 1999.
Proof. Signed and dated "99" in pencil, lower right. Printed by the artist at the Brandywine Workshop, Philadelphia.
26 1/2 x 31 1/4 in. (67.3 x 79.4 cm.)

  • Provenance:
    Private collection, Philadelphia.
  • Notes:
    A scarce proof of this untitled and un-editioned image, this collagraph was printed during Ayón's brief visiting artist residency at Tyler School of Art in 1999 under the sponsorship of Brandywine Workshop and Archives.

    Belkis Ayón (1967-1999) was an Afro-Latina printmaker and professor born in Havana, Cuba. Ayón is best known for her innovations in collagraphy. Ayón studied engraving at the prestigious Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana (ISA) and joined its faculty after graduation. Ayón's formative years as an artist were plagued by the periodo especial in Cuba which began with the collapse of the Soviet Union. This most difficult era in Cuba was a time when vital resources, let alone art supplies, were not readily accessible. However, this is also the time in which Ayón rose to prominence in the contemporary art world: Ayón's work was exhibited at the 16th Venice Biennale, the Havana Biennial and the Bharat Bhavan International Biennial of Prints in India. In 1999 she was awarded four residencies including with the Brandywine Workshop, the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, the Bronski Center at the Philadelphia College of Art, and the Bensen Hall Gallery, Rhode Island School of Design. Tragically, 1999 was also the year Ayón committed suicide, leaving behind a body of work that has broken barriers between US-Cuban relations and pioneered discourses regarding African iconography and influence on Cuban culture and society.
  • Condition:
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October 7, 2025 12:00 PM EDT
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