Background
Esteban Vicente was born on January 20, 1903 in Turégano, Spain. He was a son of Sofia Pérez y Álvarez and Toribio Vicente Ruiz, who was an army officer. Esteban had two sisters and three brothers.
Esteban Vicente Edit Profile
also known as
Esteban Vicente Pérez
Esteban Vicente was a Spanish-born American painter, who represented Abstract Expressionism movement. Known for his gestural and contemplative compositions, Vicente’s work focused on exploring color and tonal harmonies.
Education
In his early years, Esteban visited Museo del Prado in Madrid. He started to make his first drawings, when he was sixteen years old. Some time later, in 1921, Esteban entered Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, where he remained until 1924.
Also, the painter received several honorary Doctor of Philosophy degrees from different educational institutions, including Parsons School of Design in 1984 and Long Island University, New York City, in 1993.
Career
In 1928, Esteban Vicente held his first solo exhibition in Madrid. After that, he traveled to Paris, where he met Picasso, Dufy and Max Ernst, and two years later, the painter came back to Spain. In 1936, after the Spanish Civil War began, Esteban moved to New York City together with his wife Estelle Charney. There, the (Loyalist) Spanish Ambassador to the United States appointed him a Vice Consul in Philadelphia, a position, which supported Esteban's family for three years. Vicente had enough time to continue with his art and had his first one-man show in New York City at the Kleeman Gallery in 1937.
In 1939, the painter settled down in New York City, where he made portraits and taught Spanish. In 1945, Esteban took part in an exhibition in Puerto Rico. The following year, in 1946, he was appointed a teacher of painting at the University of Puerto Rico, a post he held till 1947, when he returned to New York City. In 1950, Vicente showed his works at the Kootz Gallery and the following year at the Charles Egan Gallery and the Sidney Janis Gallery. Also, in 1951, he participated in the 9th Street Art Exhibition.
In 1985, he served as an artist-in-residence at Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont. He held the same post at Parsons School of Design during the period from 1991 to 1993. Also, Esteban co-founded New York Studio School, where he worked as a teacher for thirty-six years.
Achievements
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Esteban Vicente was known as one of the first generation of New York School abstract expressionists. In his last years, he was given ample recognition by Spain, beginning in 1991 when His Majesty, King Juan Carlos, bestowed on him the Gold Medal of Fine Arts.
Also, the painter received many awards, including Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award (1993), Fine Arts Award (1998), Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise (1999) and others.
There is a Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente in Segovia, Spain, devoted to him, and a street, named after him in Turégano.
Esteban's works are kept in the collections of different museums, galleries and institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum in Spain and others.
Works
Membership
Connections
In 1935, Esteban married Estelle Charney. The couple's marriage ended in divorce in 1943. Their daughter, Mercedes, died at the age of six. His second marriage to Maria Teresa Babin also ended in divorce. In 1961, Vicente married his third wife, Harriet Peters.
References
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Born
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Died
January 10, 2001 (aged 97) -
Resting place
Museo Esteban Vicente, Segovia, Provincia de Segovia, Castilla y Leon, Spain -
Nationality
American -
Ethnicity
Education
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1921 - 1924
Career
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1946 - 1947
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1985
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1991 - 1993
