Amelia Peláez Del Casal (1896-1968) is considered one of the greatest Cuban artists. Her modernist paintings strongly defined Cuba and reflected the generations of artists that were repressed by Castro’s communist regime.
When Peláez passed away, there was an expectation to have her house turned into a historical art hub for Cuban artists to learn from her legacy and become inspired by her life and work.
However, as soon as she died, the government put a security guard outside of Peláez’s house and confiscated all her artwork, as well as her furniture and other personal belongings. The artist’s collection was distributed among several of Havana’s cultural institutions that are a part of the dictatorship, including the famous Museo de Bellas Artes.
To liberate Peláez’s art, The Amelia Peláez Foundation led by her family members is launching AmeliasNFT.
“The Amelia Pelaez Foundation’s NFT drop is about the power of Cuban artists that have been fighting for freedom for generations.” The goal is to create compilations of Peláez’s work, “which will effectively wipe fake Amelia paintings off the market, shutting off a financial resource for the most cynical in the dictatorship’s art market,” wrote Carmen Peláez, a relative of the belated artist and the head of The Amelia Peláez Foundation.
NFTs by their nature go against centralized entities and corruption and will certify proof of ownership, quite the opposite of what the Cuban government does by seizing art without an artist’s or their heirs’ permission.
AmeliasNFTs blind drop (each buyer will receive a random piece) will be public on December 8, 2021, at 6 pm EST. Amelias will cost 0.1 ETH and the gas price; after the initial drop, there will be a secondary market on OpenSea.
The foundation is partnering with an art print shop that will allow purchasing one physical print per NFT. The prints will be stamped by the Amelia Pelaez Foundation and recognized in the Catalogue Raisonné. Buyers will also get access to Carmen Peláez’s award-winning play, “Rum and Coke,” which tells Amelia’s art journey.
On The Flipside
- Do NFTs have the power to liberate an artist’s legacy and protect artwork?
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