Manuel Reguera Saumell

MANUEL REGUERA SAUMELL (Cuba, 1928).
"Homage to Amelia".
Monotype on paper adhered to cardboard.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 50 x 40 cm; 59 x 49 cm (frame).

Provenance: Manuel Reguera Saumell collection, recognized as one of the great Cuban writers and playwrights of the 20th century. As the set of photographs that accompany this collection testify, Reguera forged a close friendship with the most outstanding exponents of Cuban art during the years he spent in his native country. It was then when Reguera, supported by the bond that united him with Amelia Peláez, Rene Portocarrero, Carlos Abela or Antonia Eiriz, began his facet as a collector, giving birth to what would become his personal collection.

Painter and playwright, Manuel Reguera studied architecture at the University of Havana, although in 1959 he began to devote himself entirely to theatrical activity. That same year he won the National Award of the Cuban Theater Direction for "Sara en el traspatio" and the José Antonio Ramos Award of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba for "Propiedad particular". Likewise, in 1967 his play "Recuerdos de Tulipa" was made into a movie, under the direction of Manuel Octavio Gómez. In the following years he wrote plays for cinema and television, and in 1968 he represented Cuba in the Mexico Olympics with the play "La soga al cuello". In 1970 he left Cuba and settled in Barcelona, where he taught art history and dramaturgy at the Escola Adrià Gual. He has also directed several plays, and in 2011 he was awarded the René Ariza Prize in Miami.