His harshest punishment as a child was when his mother took away his pencils and paper. He was always making little figures with clay and whenever he found a piece of paper, he would doodle little figures on it. Continuing on to his more formative academic years, in Havana he attended El Colegio de Belen, a Jesuit Preparatory School where he excelled in the classes involving art and history.Ĭarbonell first realized he wanted to be a sculptor when he was eight or nine years old. Since his early childhood he was recognized for his interest in drawings and carvings. This proved to be the beginning of many lasting friendships. The family history has its roots in early sugar farming, from the early 1800s.Īt an early age the family moved to the city of Cienfuegos and Carbonell went to study at 'Monserrat' a primary school in the city. His father came from a family of eighteen brothers and sisters. He had two sisters the older, Josephine and the younger Angela. Until the age of 92, he had continued to work daily in his studio.Ĭarbonell was born on October 25, 1918, in Sancti Spiritus ('Holy Spirit'), Cuba. Ceaselessly searching for the essence of form and the absence of details, he empowered a sense of strength and monumentality to his work. Carbonell's inexhaustible vision and his ever-changing style is the product of a brilliant talent with an academic background. He was part of the generation of Cuban artists, which includes Wifredo Lam and Agustín Cárdenas, that studied at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes 'San Alejandro', Havana, Cuba.

Manuel Carbonell (Octo– November 10, 2011) was a Cuban Contemporary and Modern artist, regarded as among the greatest Cuban sculptors of his generation. Monumental bronze sculptures, sculptures, bas-reliefs, drawings, and historical public monumentsĬontemporary Figurative Abstract bronze sculptures Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes 'San Alejandro' in Havana, Cuba

Carbonel book