RAFAELCONSUEGRA  Sculptor 1941-2021 ​

"The work of Rafael Consuegra are creations full of rare obsessive enchantment that thrills for their symbolism as well as their forms."

Modest Rodriguez, Art Critic: Revista "Europa, Canigo and Batik".  Member of "La Asociacion Catalana de Criticos de Arte".

Rafael Consuegra, a Cuban born, American sculptor who has left a legacy encompasing more than 50 years of prolific creativity.  His works can be found across the globe with an identity that only Consuegra himself breathed into the lifeless materials he chose to work with.   

Consuegra (as he was called), was born in Havana, Cuba in 1941.  Due to the Cuban Revolution, he left the Island and settled in Miami, Florida in 1960.  Consuegra attended Miami Dade College and then the University of Miami where he began to study architecture.  He soon found his passion in the plastic arts.  It was at the University of Miami, where as an art student he was twice granted the prestigious Cintas Fellowship award from the International Institute of Education in New York.  In 1971, Consuegra earned his Master's of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Miami.  In 1974, after a few years working as an art and design professor at Miami Dade College he made a brave transatlantic move and settled in Barcelona, Spain.  There he established a studio.  This served as his home base while continuing to show his work throughout museums and galleries in Europe.  He concentrated his time between, France, Switzerland and Denmark.   After 8 years living abroad, Consuegra moved back to Miami where he lived up until his death in 2021.  Consuegra lived a rich and passionate life.  He had a love of travel, spending time with friends, meeting people all over the world and learning about their customs and beliefs.  Consuegra enjoyed classical music and often could be found listening to the great composers while he was creating one of his masterpieces.  He was a lover of history and was especially curious about the American Cival War.  He was an avid collector of history books, weapons such as antique guns, rifles and swords from major world battles.  Finally, his pipes and hats.  Wherever he would go you could always catch him smoking tobaco from one of his many pipes and wearing one of his hats.  This was his signature look.  Consuegra was a deeply spiritual man.  He accepted all human beings and loved animals.  His love of God and the freedom of the human spirit was evident in all his work.  Consuegra never stopped creating beautiful sculptures and attained unprecedented success during his long career.  His work can be found in private and public collections throughout the world.