Ink on paper, 15 x 17 inches framed. This work by Cuban artist Tomas Esson transforms the U.S. flag into a carnivalesque battlefield of figures and noisy cartoon birds, stripping the emblem of its solemn authority. The work critiques power, nationalism, and the mythology of freedom. Esson hand-drew this work for Cuba Art NY’s first exhibit.

Tomas Esson was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1963. He studied painting at Escuela Nacional de Artes Plasticas San Alejandro and earned his degree at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana in 1987. He began teaching at San Alejandro shortly thereafter. Esson gained prominence in Cuba's vibrant 1980s art scene, known for provocative imagery that deeply critiqued revolutionary icons. His 1988 solo show A Tarro Partido II was censored and shut down by authorities. Esson relocated to the United States in 1990 and now lives between Miami and New York City.

Notable solo exhibitions: The GOAT at ICA Miami (2020), encompassing early figurative works, the Retratos series, and his Wet Paintings. KRAKEN at David Lewis Gallery in New York (2021), exploring his continued fascination with erotic and political themes. MIAMI POP at Fredric Snitzer Gallery (2024), featuring intensely colorful and gestural abstractions. Esson's early paintings juxtaposed mythological creatures, caricatured revolutionaries, and grotesque forms, often with biting satire and social critique. His "Retratos and Wet Paintings” delve into sexual symbolism, breaking down elements of the body into key forms, mouth, genitals, breasts, and anus, conceptualized as foundational modules.

Esson's works are held in the following collections: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, (Havana), Whitney Museum of American Art, (New York), MOCA (San Diego), Ludwig Forum Internationale (Kunst, Germany), Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, (Monterrey, Mexico), ICA Miami (he had a landmark solo exhibition there).

This work is from a private collection.

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