The other Alicia Created by “The Friend” Nelson Domínguez

Alicia in Black and White, in colors, sitting and dancing, flying, in life, many times Alicia and only one woman reinvented,seen from the admiration and friendship, drawn from portraits in body and soul, all presented by Nelson Domínguez to his friend Alicia.

The National Prize for Plastic Arts invites to contemplate, on his own words to CubaSí, much more than portraits of the Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso:

“I think that in this exhibition I created another Alicia, people can imagine that she is Alicia, I sometimes painted it and thought: Is this Alicia? The concern was never to paint a portrait, the intention was to make a work born on teh spur of the moment, of the will, of the inspiration, that is what prevailed in this exposition.”

"My Friend Alicia" is the name of this permanent exhibition at Events Room of the Great Theater of Havana as part of the celebration for the 26^th International Ballet Festival.

During the opening, Miguel Cabrera, historian of the National Ballet of Cuba, commented the traditional connection between plastic arts and dance in Cuba, marked by names like Carlos Henríquez, Servando Cabrera or René Portocarrero and he highlighted that this collection shows a very particular vision:

"… it’s the communication of two very special beings, among which, and I am witness to this, have been a current of mutual sympathy and admiration. Nelson gives us something that has not happened and I think that any Plastic Arts historian could prove me wrong, I don't believe that no Cuban plastic arts artist has made such a complete work about the image, the being, the work and humanism of a figure of our culture… nothing escaped him and there is the human being, the teacher, the choreographer…

In exclusive talk with Cubasí, Nelson explained that he worked fom pictures of different moments on the life of the creator of the Cuban school of ballet to develop 42 portraits with diverse techniques and formats, at the same time he remembered: "Over the last years I have had three models who have inspired me greatly, they are Robaina, Fidel, and Alicia Alonso and I have been working with them… "

It’s a loving, honest work, loaded with spirituality, without abandoning for a second her style, Nelsón delivers images more or less realistic, more or less colorful, but always Alicia, multiple, admirable, transcendent:

"She baptize me with the nickname "the friend" and whenever there was a ballet event she said: “did you already invited the friend?” Always in all shows I was near her, because she had sent for me; I cooked for her many times, I have a girl who studied ballet and let me tell you it’s very sad, because if my father had had the opportunity to bring Picasso home and never brought him, I would condemn him for eternity, my daughter cannot condemn me, because I brought home the Picasso of ballet dance."