Estate of Feliciano Centurión Paraguayan, 1962-1996
In the late 1980s a small and unassuming university cultural center, the Centro Cultural Ricardo Rojas (El Rojas), became the epicenter of an unexpected revolution in the visual arts. Under the directorship of the artist Jorge Gumier Maier, El Rojas championed a new generation of artists (Arte Light movement) whose shared concerns included the everyday, self-expression, an interest in kitsch aesthetics, and an exuberant, almost Baroque, aesthetic. Centurión became a core member of this group of artists, showing several times at El Rojas, and in many ways exemplifying the aesthetic choices of that generation.
In the early 1990s Centurión started painting exotic animals on the large, cheap synthetic blankets used for household packing and for shelter by the homeless. The contrast between the poverty of the material and the exuberance of the bold and expressive animals shows a remarkable confidence and originality for such a young artist. Some of the animals depicted relate directly to Centurión's subtropical origins: yacares (small crocodiles), lizards, and surubí (large river fish native to the region). Others are more clearly fantastical, such as a series of octopuses, jellyfish, and anemones.
After his HIV diagnosis, Centurión worked in increasingly small and intricate formats. He liked to embroider animals and mythical beings, in keeping with Paraguay's Guaraní weaving traditions, and used his own text, too, often in reference to his ill-health. In common with Félix González-Torres, ACT UP, José Leonilson, and General Idea, the use of sentiment and traditionally feminine visual languages puts Centurion at the centre of this generation of artists who began to explore gender and sexuality in the 1990s. Although his career was tragically short, he remains a central but little-recognized figure of recent contemporary art history.
Cecilia Brunson Projects represents the artist's estate and works closely with Feliciano's family.
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Feliciano Centurión: 'Abrigo' at the America's Society, New York
14 Feb - 20 Nov 2020Americas Society Art Gallery reopens to the public on September 30 and Americas Society members will be able to visit starting September 23 On view: February 14-November 20, 2020 Cecilia...Read more -
Feliciano Centurión
I Am Awake (1992 – 1996) 19 Sep - 13 Dec 2019Cecilia Brunson Projects is pleased to announce 'I am Awake', the first London exhibition of the celebrated Paraguayan artist Feliciano Centurión.Read more -
Feliciano Centurión: 'Words/Matter' at the Blanton Museum of Art, Texas
17 Feb - 26 May 2019The Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin presents Words/Matter: Latin American Art and Language at the Blanton, an exhibition that examines how modern and contemporary...Read more -
Feliciano Centurion - 33rd Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil
7 Sep - 9 Dec 2018Cecilia Brunson Projects is delighted to announce the participation of Feliciano Centurión in the 33rd São Paulo Biennial taking place from September 7th until December 9th, 2018 at the Ciccillo...Read more
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Feliciano Centurión
Artist Monograph Americas Society, New York, 2020 Hardback, pages Read more -
Feliciano Centurión
Abrigo Americas Society, New York, 2020 Softback, Exhibition Catalogue, pages Read more -
Recovering Beauty: The 1990s in Buenos Aires
Catalogue of the exhibition 2011 Read more -
33ª Bienal de São Paulo
Catalogue of the exhibition 2018 Read more
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The Exuberant Softness of Feliciano Centurión’s Textiles
Cassie Packard, Hyperallergic, October 23, 2020 -
Feliciano Centurión: Americas Society
Art Forum, October 1, 2020 -
Feliciano Centurión: Abrigo
The Brooklyn Rail, May 1, 2020 -
2 Art Gallery Shows to Explore From Home
Martha Schwendener, The New York Times, April 15, 2020 -
Feliciano Centurion
Johanna Fateman, The New Yorker, February 23, 2020 -
Feliciano Centurión’s Textiles Enact New Pleasures
Rebecca Jagoe , Frieze , January 15, 2020 -
Three exhibitions to see in London this weekend
Kabir Jhala and José da Silva, The Art Newspaper, November 29, 2019 -
The Most Influential Latin American Artists of the 20th Century
Alex Santana, Artsy , November 18, 2019 -
Interview | Cecilia Brunson Projects Founder on I Am Awake by Feliciano Centurión
Eric Block, The London Magazine, November 12, 2019 -
Review: Feliciano Centurión, I am Awake: 1992 - 1996
Rachel Leonard, Gold Circle, November 10, 2019 -
La Gracia de Vivir por Siempre
Marycruz Najle, La Nación, October 28, 2019 -
The Top 7 Art Exhibitions to see in London in October
FAD Magazine , October 14, 2019 -
Life lines: textile works by the late Feliciano Centurión
Melanie Gerlis , Financial Times, November 30, 2018 -
The powerful legacy of Feliciano Centurión
Celina Chatruc, La Nacion , October 21, 2018 -
São Paulo Biennial pays tribute to Paraguayan work
Ultima Hora , September 10, 2018
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Artist Documentary
Feliciano Centurión: Abrazo Íntimo al Natural April 15, 2020This documentary traces the life and career of Paraguayan artist Feliciano Centurión, subject of the exhibition Abrigo at the Americas Society in New York. It...Read more -
Museum Exhibition
Feliciano Centurión: Abrigo at the Americas Society, New York January 20, 2020Cecilia Brunson Projects is delighted to announce that the Americas Society, New York is having the first solo exhibition of Paraguayan artist Feliciano Centurión in...Read more -
Exhibition
Feliciano Centurión in Words/Matter: Latin American Art and Language at the Blanton Museum, Texas February 17, 2019Cecilia Brunson Projects is proud to announce Feliciano Centurión's participation in Words/Matter: Latin American Art and Language from February 17th to May 26th, 2019 at...Read more -
Biennial
33rd Biennial of São Paulo, Brazil (Fundação Bienal de São Paulo) September 11, 2018Cecilia Brunson Projects is delighted to announce the participation of Alejandro Corujeira, Claudia Fontes and Feliciano Centurión in the 33rd São Paulo Biennial taking place...Read more -
Estate Representation
Feliciano Centurión May 31, 2018Cecilia Brunson Projects is pleased to announce the representation of Feliciano Centurión. The artist was highlighted in the 33rd Biennial of São Paulo, Brazil, under...Read more