Circular Reflections

Ramón Carulla’s paintings are quiet, intense excavations of identity, survival, and the deep recesses of memory. His canvases function as psychological thresholds where time seems suspended, forcing a direct confrontation with the haunting, still gaze of his figures. While his intuitive practice transcends geographic borders, his works carry a profound cross-cultural resonance. They speak directly to the fragmented realities of displacement, exile, and universal human gravity. Through masterfully layered tones, high-contrast lighting, and an uncompromising structural honesty, his art strips away societal masks to honor the enduring dignity of the soul navigating an uncertain landscape.

Academic Foundations & Early Transit: Born in Havana, Cuba, on December 7, 1936. He moved briefly to Miami, Florida, in 1946 with his father to attend public school, eventually returning to Havana to complete his formal primary and secondary schooling. Operating primarily as an intuitive, self-taught dynamic force within the fine arts, he officially began his professional painting practice in 1963.

Exile, Translocation & Relocations: He permanently emigrated from Cuba, moving to the United States in 1965 and settling in Miami, Florida. Shortly after his arrival, he staged his landmark debut U.S. solo exhibition in 1967 at the Bacardi Art Gallery, positioning him as a foundational figure within the early generation of exiled Cuban visual creators in South Florida. From this geographical base, his work has been widely exhibited in multiple solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, France, Poland, Spain, Romania, Switzerland, England, Germany, Yugoslavia, Norway, Mexico, Venezuela, Panama, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Egypt, and Dubai.

Institutional Service & Parallel Disciplines: Parallel to his independent studio practice, he has served the broader fine arts community as an academic guest lecturer, sharing his technical insights and creative philosophy at prestigious institutions including the Cranbrook Academy of Art (Bloomfield, Michigan), Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan), and The University School (Cleveland, Ohio).

Current Status: He resides and works full-time in Miami, Florida, maintaining an active international studio practice, pursuing physical exhibition schedules, and continuing to publish comprehensive graphic series.

• 1985: Guest Lecturer and Presenter, The Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield, Michigan.
• 1985: Academic Guest Speaker and Seminar Presenter, The Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.
• Guest Lecturer, The University School, Cleveland, Ohio.

• The Immigrant Series: A profound conceptual exploration detailing the psychological fragmentation, spatial dislocation, and existential weight of exile and translocation.
• Rostros para recordar (Faces to Remember): A masterfully executed series focusing on intense, stylized human figures whose unmoving, frontally oriented gazes serve as quiet thresholds into collective human memory.
• The Dreamers: A conceptual portfolio probing the subterranean layers of the human subconscious, identity, and memory under the suspension of linear time.
• Masks, Hats, and Other Headgear / Sofa & Hostage Series: Critical thematic blocks that leverage theatrical representation and symbolic shielding to strip away social artifice, exposing the core vulnerability and enduring dignity of the human soul.

• 2026: When Dreams Become Reality, Archbishop John C. Favalora Archive & Museum / St. Thomas University, Miami, Florida. (This landmark career retrospective showcased his enduring work with figurative expressionism).
• 2005: Solo Exhibition, Sonnet Gallery, Sarasota, Florida.
• 2003: Carulla: Recent Formats, Padrón Gallery, Miami, Florida.
• 2000: Ramon Carulla: People and Places, Corbino Galleries, Longboat Key, Florida.
• 1998: The Dreamers, Cuban Collection Fine Art, Coral Gables, Florida.
• 1997: The Immigrant Series, Metro-Dade Cultural Resource Center, Miami, Florida.
• 1996: Ramon Carulla: Works on Paper, P. Jorn, Hamburg, Germany.
• 1994: Ramon Carulla: New Paintings, Plates & Boxes, The Barbara Scott Gallery, Bay Harbor Islands, Florida.
• 1994: Rostros para recordar, Galería Trazo, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 1993: Ramon Carulla, Exhibición Personal, Contemporary Art Museum, Panama City, Panama.
• 1992: Ramon Carulla: Recent Work, The Barbara Scott Gallery, Bay Harbor Islands, Florida.
• 1992: Solo Exhibition, The Capitol, Tallahassee, Florida.
• 1991: Moments in Time & Art, Culture Center of Hollywood, Hollywood, Florida.
• 1991: Cabinet Room, The Capitol, Tallahassee, Florida.
• 1988: Sofa & Hostage Series, Jay Moos Gallery, Bay Harbor Islands, Florida.
• 1987: 20 Years After, Bacardi Art Gallery, Miami, Florida. (This landmark show celebrated two decades of work following the artist’s relocation to the U.S.).
• 1985: Malcom Brown Gallery, Malcom Brown Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio.
• 1985: Mask Series, Forma Gallery, Miami, Florida.
• 1985: Masks, Hats, Other Headgear: A Retrospective, Schweyer-Galdo Gallery, Detroit, Michigan.
• 1985: Personal Exhibition, Schweyer-Galdo Galleries, Pontiac, Michigan.
• 1983: Recent Works, VI Graphic Biennial, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• 1981: Recent Oils and Works on Paper, Joy Moos Gallery, Miami, Florida.
• 1980: Life Boundaries Series, Virginia Miller Gallery, Coral Gables, Florida.
• 1975: Atelier J. Lukacs, Atelier J. Lukacs, Montreal, Canada.
• 1967: Solo Exhibition, Bacardi Art Gallery, Miami, Florida. (Institutional U.S. solo debut showcase staged shortly after his translocation).

• 2026: Circular Reflections, Westchester Regional Library, Miami, Florida.
• 2025: Circular Reflections, St. Thomas University, Miami, Florida.
• 1995: The 3rd Sapporo International Biennial, Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo, Japan.
• 1994: IX Bienal Iberoamericana, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 1987: Outside Cuba / Fuera de Cuba, Major Touring Museum Exhibition (Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick, New Jersey; Miami University Art Museum, Oxford, Ohio; Ponce Museum of Art, Ponce, Puerto Rico).
• 1986: The Latin American Graphic Arts Biennial, Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art (MOCHA), New York, New York.
• 1986: 8th Norwegian International Print Biennale, Fredrikstad, Norway.
• 1986: 8th International Exhibition of Graphic Art, Frechen, Germany.
• 1985: Drawing ’85: 7th International Drawing Biennial, Middlesbrough Fine Arts Museum, Cleveland, United Kingdom.
• 1975: 4th Annual Pan-American Art Exhibition, Miami-Dade Public Library, Miami, Florida.
• 1965: I Bienal de Artistas Noveles de Cuba, Centro de Arte Internacional, Havana, Cuba.
• 1965: The Young at Art Exhibition, Havana, Cuba.

• 1994: Honorable Mention, IX Biennial of Ibero-American Art, Drawing and Printmaking – Instituto Domecq, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 1990: CINTAS Foundation Fellowship, CINTAS Foundation / Institute of International Education, New York, New York.
• 1989: Honorable Mention, IX Mini-Print International, Cadaqués, Cataluña, Spain.
• 1989: Honorable Mention, 4th Annual International Exhibition of Miniature Art – Del Bello Gallery, Toronto, Canada.
• 1988: Prize Winner, V Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano y del Caribe, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• 1988: Prize Winner, 8th Mini Print Internacional de Cadaqués – Taller Galería Fort, Cadaqués, Barcelona, Spain.
• 1983: First Prize, VI Biennial of Ibero-American Art (Graphic Biennial of Latin America), San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• 1982: The Samuel Golan Award, Fine Art Auction Exhibition – CH 2, Miami, Florida.
• 1980: First Prize, The Simon Daro Davidowics Painting Award – Metropolitan Museum and Art Center, Coral Gables, Florida.
• 1979: Second Time Recipient, CINTAS Foundation Fellowship, CINTAS Foundation / Institute of International Education, New York, New York (1979–1980).
• 1978: Listed, “Who’s Who in American Art” (1978–1981).
• 1975: Honorable Mention, 4th Annual Pan-American Art Exhibition – Miami-Dade Public Library, Miami, Florida.
• 1973: Recipient, CINTAS Foundation Fellowship, CINTAS Foundation / Institute of International Education, New York, New York (1973–1974).
• 1970: The Foremost Art Competition, (1970–1971), Miami, Florida.
• 1965: The Best Young Artist, Ministry of Public Works, Havana, Cuba.
• 1965: The Young at Art Exhibition, Havana, Cuba.

• 2026: Rodez, Miguel. “Catálogo: Reflexiones Circulares [Curaduría: Miguel Rodez]” InCUBAdora, March 24, 2026. (This article concisely summarizes the Cuban contemporary art documentation project, Circular Reflections, and lists the artist within the global roster of contemporary masters).
• 2026: “An Afternoon with Master Ramón Carulla.” Art Miami Magazine, June 5, 2026. (A contemporary retrospective feature examining his lifelong dedication to figurative expressionism and his recent major institutional showcasing in South Florida).
• 2025: Rodez, Miguel. Circular Reflections: Cuban Art Documentation Project. Miami Gardens, FL: St. Thomas University Press, 2025. Permanent collection, Miami-Dade Public Library System, Fine Arts Archive. (A comprehensive catalog featuring information about the 63 initial participants in Circular Reflections, providing a definitive analysis of the artist’s work, biographical information, and curriculum highlights).
• 2016: “Latin American Art” (Pages 56-57) “Traditional & Modernity” published by Alejandro Alfonso Romero, Miami, Florida.
• 2015: “Linder Lane Magazine” (Pages 2-35) “Vol. 34 No. 3 Cuba 1959 ‘Juan Abreu'” published by Belkis Cuza Malé, Fort Worth, Texas.
• 2014: “Latin American Art” (Pages 64-65) “The Colorist” published by Alejandro Alfonso Romero, Miami, Florida.
• 2012: “Historias Del Otro Amor” (Cover Design) published by Jose Front Castro, Madrid, Spain.
• 2007: “Latin American Art” (Pages 52-53) “Maestro de Maestros” published by Alejandro Alfonso Romero, Miami, Florida.
• 2006: “Art Nexus” (Pages 137-138) “No. 60 Volume 5” published by Oswaldo Macia, Bogota, Colombia.
• 2005: “Shopping for Art: Discoveries at Sonnet Gallery.” Sarasota Magazine 28, no. 3 (December 2005): 42. (A regional feature assessing the technical execution and whimsical appeal of his painted object series, notably his stylized boxes and figures adorned in theatrical hats).
• 2005: “Selecta” (Pages 114-115) “Puerto Rico Fashion Week” published by Nora Bulnes, Miami, Florida.
• 2004: “Casa & Estilo Internacional” (Page 114) “El Arte” published by Ugo Campello, Miami, Florida.
• 2002: Veigas, José, Cristina Vives, Adolfo V. Nodal, Valia Garzón, and Dannys Montes de Oca, eds. Memoria: Cuban Art of the Twentieth Century (Page 119). Los Angeles, CA: California International Arts Foundation, 2002. Book located in the Library of Congress, Catalog Card # 2001135668. (This definitive historical anthology permanently documents his cryptic handling of human form and structural texture, preserving his legacy in major public registries).
• 2001: “The Psychological Morphology of Ramón Carulla.” ArtNexus, no. 41 (August 2001): 68–73. (A definitive, deep-dive academic critique analyzing the symbolism embedded within his figures—such as childhood carousels, tropical paradigms, and his obsession with hats as an industry of social masquerade).
• 1997: “Breaking Barriers” (Pages 115 – 116) curated by Jorge H. Santis, Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
• 1996: Snyder, Jennifer. “The Ramón Carulla Papers, 1971–1996.” Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution (Permanent Finding Aid Archive Collection, 1996). (An official institutional preservation tracking his mid-career correspondence, sketches, taped interviews, and creative photographs).
• 1995: Blanc, Giulio V. “The Figurative Vanguard of the Cuban Diaspora.” Giulio V. Blanc Research & Artist Archives, Smithsonian Institution Collection Identifier Box 4 (Microfilm Reels 5476-5487), 1995. (An extensive curatorial and critical evaluation tracking Carulla’s evolution from his abstract works of the late 1960s into a raw, uncompromising structural honesty).
• 1995: “Casa & Estilo Internacional” (Pages 50-57) “Arte” Volume II published by Ugo Campello, Miami, Florida.
• 1985: “Series on Contemporary Masters” Volume II published by Schweyer-Galdo (Pontiac, Michigan). Book located in the Library of Congress, Catalog Card # 8561466 (Washington, D.C.).
• 1984: “Sotheby’s” Catalog (Page 294) “Important American Paintings, Drawings & Sculptures”, New York, New York.

• Art History Department – University of Miami (Coral Gables, Florida)
• Art in Public Places – Miami-Dade County (Miami, Florida)
• Barnett Bank Corporate Collection (Miami, Florida)
• Bass Museum of Art (Miami Beach, Florida)
• Boca Raton Museum of Art (Boca Raton, Florida)
• Cabo Frio International Print Biennial Collection (Cabo Frio, Brazil)
• CBS International Corporate Collection (New York, New York)
• Centre International d’Art Contemporain / Société des Artistes Internationales (Paris, France)
• Cincinnati Art Museum (Cincinnati, Ohio)
• Cintas Foundation, Institute of International Education (New York, New York)
• City Art Gallery (Lodz, Poland)
• Contemporary Museum of Art (Panama City, Panama)
• Contemporary Museum De Velez-Malaga / Velez-Malaga Museum (Malaga, Spain)
• Continental Bank International (Chicago, Illinois)
• Cuban Museum of Art and Culture (Miami, Florida)
• Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan)
• Eastern National Bank (Coral Gables, Florida)
• Florean Museum (Maramureș, Romania)
• G.D. Series Collection (Chicago, Illinois)
• Hollywood Art and Culture Center (Hollywood, Florida)
• Ino-Cho Paper Museum (Kochi-ken, Japan)
• Instituto Cultural Domecq / Domecq Cultural Institute (Mexico City, Mexico)
• Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
• International Museum of Contemporary Art (Bahia, Brazil)
• Japan Print Association Collection (Tokyo, Japan)
• Jersey City Museum (Jersey City, New Jersey)
• Joan Miró Foundation (Barcelona, Spain)
• Kanagawa Arts Foundation / Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery (Kanagawa, Japan)
• Lehigh University Art Museum (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
• Lowe Art Museum – University of Miami (Coral Gables, Florida)
• Miami-Dade Public Library Permanent Art Collection (Miami, Florida)
• Museo José Luis Cuevas / Jose Luis Cuevas Museum (Mexico City, Mexico)
• Museo Nacional del Grabado / National Museum of Engraving (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
• Museo Rufino Tamayo / Rubino Tamayo Museum (Mexico City, Mexico)
• Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
• Museum of Contemporary Arts (São Paulo, Brazil)
• Museum of Fine Arts (Montreal, Canada)
• Museum of International Contemporary Graphic Art (Fredrikstad, Norway)
• Museum of Modern Art of Latin America (Washington, D.C.)
• National Center of Art / National Art Center (Giza, Egypt)
• Norton Gallery Museum of Art (West Palm Beach / Palm Beach, Florida)
• OAS AMA | Art Museum of the Americas (Washington, D.C.)
• Pace Collection (Miami, Florida and New York, New York)
• Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• Pontifical University of Campinas (São Paulo, Brazil)
• Radford University Museum (Radford, Virginia)
• Santa Barbara Museum of Art (Santa Barbara, California)
• Sharjah Art Museum (Sharjah, United Arab Emirates / Dubai)
• Silvia Daro Davidowitcz Permanent Collection – University of Miami Library (Coral Gables, Florida)
• Smithsonian Archives of American Art – Collection of Artists’ Primary Records (Washington, D.C.)
• Sungkok Art Museum (Seoul, South Korea)
• Tama Art University Museum (Tokyo, Japan)
• The New School of Social Research (New York, New York)
• The Art Museum – Florida International University (Miami, Florida)
• The Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art – University of Florida (Gainesville, Florida)
• Tucson Museum of Art (Tucson, Arizona)