Adigio BENITEZ
1924, Cuba

Adigio Benitez was born in January 26th, 1924 in Santiago de Cuba. In 1949 he graduated in the “San Alejandro” Nationa School of Fine Arts. Around 1945, his political drawings and caricatures were published in several progressist press organs from those years. After the triumph of the Revolution he carried on his labour as caricaturist and illustrator on newspapers such as: “Hoy”, “Granma” and “El Habanero”, among others. He has designed posters, highway billboards and book illustrations, among them: Jesús Menéndez Poster, 1948 Cuban Working Press Award; illustrations from poetry book “El amor como ella” (“Love Like Her”) by Manuel Díaz Martínez, the “Elegía a Jesús Menéndez” (“Elegy to Jesús Menéndez”) by Nicolás Guillén,
His earliest oil paintings dated back to 1953, when he began a fruitful labour as painter, drafter and graphic designer. He was founder professor of the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas (Naional Schoolof Visual Arts) and of the Instituto Superior de Arte (Higher Studies Arts Institute). In 1987 such Institute conferred him the special category of Professor of Merit. From 1979 to 1983 he presided the International Association of Visual Artists, and at present he is President of Honor of this organization. Member of the National Council of the Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba UNEAC (National Association of Cuban Writers and Artists), since it was settled.
He has made some twenty personal exhibitions and has participated in more than a hundred national and international collective exhibitions.
He has developed an important labour on promoting Visual Arts as jury of salon, of contests, commisary of Cuban art exhibitions. He has published 4 poetry booklets and made 6 murals. In 1994 First Degree “Félix Varela” Order, top decoration conferred by the Cuban State in culture sector, was conferred to him. He is awarded with the National Award on Visual Arts, 2002 conferred by the National Council on Visual Arts, on behalf of his whole artistic work.
His works are part of the Cuban Art Colection from the National Museum of Fine Arts, as well as from other institutions and private and public collections.

Source: http://www.galeriacubarte.cult.cu/g_artista.php?item=18&lang=eng