Black Drawing (Constantin Brancusi), 2011 Coffee, ink, and graphite on paper Courtesy of the artist and Saltworks Gallery, Atlanta

About the Modern Spirit presents 30 drawings created between 1998 and 2011 by Atlanta-based Alejandro Aguilera. These works reveal his technical skill and versatility in the use of various materials, such as crayon, tempera, collage, ink, coffee, and graphite on paper.

The drawings include portraits of artists and other historical figures whom Aguilera considers inspirations and heroes—individuals whose accomplishments have changed the way we look at the world.

Aguilera says that, metaphorically, the drawings represent “a step toward modernism—a journey toward that moment in which took place the contact between the so-called ‘primitive cultures’ and the expansionists from the Western world.”

The drawings are installed salon-style, hung close together in a tight cluster, in order to summon the creative environment of the artist’s studio and to reveal the lively discourse among Aguilera’s subjects and themes.

 Exhibition Organization and Support
“Alejandro Aquilera” is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

Alejandro Aguilera (born 1964) was trained in both the United States and in his native Cuba and now lives and works in Atlanta. In addition to being an exquisite draftsman, Aguilera is also a prolific painter and sculptor. Aguilera cites a wide range of influences, from historical figures such as Christopher Columbus and Mahatma Gandhi to the artistic impact of African sculpture, Modern art, as well as vernacular Southern art. His work contains strong references to the history of modernism and imagery of what he describes as “so-called primitive cultures.”  He has exhibited internationally and his works have been acquired by numerous public and private collections worldwide.