Circular Reflections

Vicente Dopico Lerner’s masterfully rendered canvases and fluid watercolors function as quiet, intense portals into the inner theater of human consciousness, identity, and silent memory. Rather than relying on standard hyperrealistic illustration, he uses vibrant colors and intricate networks of organic forms to construct idealized, reflective sanctuaries where the physical world and unconscious mind dissolve. Playful, spontaneous lines carry existential weight, turning individual vignettes into a meditation on resilience and self-preservation.

Academic Foundations: Born in Havana, Cuba, on April 22, 1943. He earned an Associate in Arts from Miami Dade College (1969), a Bachelor of Arts (1974) and a Master of Science (1976) from St. Thomas University, and completed painting and lithography modules at the Art Students League of New York during the 1970s.

Institutional Leadership & Critique: He served as Director of the Cuban Museum of Art and Culture in Miami, while sustaining an independent painting practice, multi-decade work as a certified Florida art teacher, and essay writing on Latin American visual culture.

Exile & Relocation: He left Cuba permanently in 1964 and settled in South Florida, maintaining an independent home and studio for more than five decades.

Current Status: Deceased; his estate, master sketchbooks, and historical digital materials are archived in academic preservation facilities.

He contributed for multiple decades as a certified art teacher in Florida.

El Caos y La Imagen (Chaos and Image Series): Highly textured neo-expressionist oil and acrylic paintings where symbolic faces, profiles, and characters emerge from layered color fields.

Demons & Inkpirations Portfolio: Dynamic drawings and fine watercolors mapping psychological friction, longing, and existential vulnerability through vigorous lines.

2019: Demons Inkspiration, Kendall Art Center (KAC), Miami. 2013: Vicente Dopico-Lerner Retrospective Survey, St. Thomas University, Miami. 2001: Solo Portfolio Presentation, Convento San Francisco de Asís, Havana. 1997: Personal Survey, Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo. 1996: Espacios de Tiempo, Galería Nader, Santo Domingo. 1995: Recent Works, Viva Galería, New York. 1994: Solo Exhibition, Galería Arawak, Santo Domingo. 1992: Personal Exhibition, Museo de las Américas, Old San Juan. 1984: Solo Presentation, El Gaucho Art Space, Venice; Dopico Lerner Canvas Review, Paris. 1983: Personal Exhibition, London cultural centers. 1981: Solo Showcase, UNAM, Mexico City. 1978: Paintings and Drawings, Museo Arte Contemporáneo, Panama City. 1969: Associate Portfolio Display, Miami Dade College Galleries. 1967: El Caos y La Imagen Debut, Museo de las Américas, San Juan. 1963: Inaugural Independent Exposition, Havana.

Participated in over 150 collective exhibitions, including: 2026: Circular Reflections, Westchester Regional Library, Miami; 2025: Circular Reflections, St. Thomas University Museum, Miami; 2002: II Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Latin American Art, Cornell Museum, Delray Beach; 2002: Fraternité Caraïbéenne, MUPANAH, Port-au-Prince; 2001: Bestiario, Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo; 2000: Contemporary Latin-American Art Exhibition, Museum of Art and History, Delray Beach; 1999: Latin-American Painters of Today, Museo de las Américas, San Juan; 1998: 5th National Exposition of Arawak Drawings, Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo; 1977: Co-Op Master Salon, Cuban Museum of Art & Culture, Miami.

1976: CINTAS Foundation Fellowship in Visual Arts, CINTAS Foundation / Institute of International Education, New York. 1979: Fine Art Achievement Distinction, Society Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. He also received specialized competition prizes at the San Bernardino County Art Museum and the IX Aquamedia Competition.

Manuel Álvarez Lezama, Latin American Art Magazine (2019): “Vicente Dopico and the Sensuality of the Caribbean.” Cándido Gerón (2005): “La subversión de la imagen,” a historical monograph. The Vicente Dopico Lerner Papers, 1977–2016, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

The original paintings, master drawings, and illustrated books are preserved within: Smithsonian Institution / Archives of American Art; Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo; Casa de las Américas Archive Collection, Havana; Museo de las Américas, Denver; The Harriet & George D. Cornell Museum of Art, Delray Beach; and international private collections across the United States, Dominican Republic, Spain, and France.