JUAN FRANCISCO ELSO (1956-1988) Untitled signed 'Elso' (lower right) oil on canvas 55 3/4 x 33 in (141.5 x 83.8 cm) Painted circa 1980 Footnotes: This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Carelia Kira Pardo Fuente and dated February 17, 2025. Provenance Acquired directly from the artist's estate by the present owner. This untitled work by Juan Francisco Elso belongs to the spiritual, symbolic, and ritual dimension that defines his mature production. A central figure-eroded, vertical, and almost spectral-emerges from a dense, stratified surface, as if shaped by processes of transformation, erosion, and temporal accumulation. The blurred treatment of the body evokes notions of sacrifice, transcendence, and memory, themes that recur throughout Elso's conceptual universe. Rather than presenting a fixed or literal image, the work proposes a charged presence in which the corporeal and the spiritual converge. Materiality itself becomes a carrier of meaning, reinforcing the tension between physical substance and metaphysical inquiry. This interplay of ritual, identity, and symbolic resonance places the work at the core of Elso's poetic vision. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Cuban contemporary art, Elso is celebrated for integrating spirituality and cultural memory into a radically personal and transcendent visual language. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing