Mariano Rodríguez (Havana, 1912-1990) is regarded as one of the most important and influential painters of the second generation of the Cuban vanguard. While best known for his paintings of roosters, Mariano also embraced landscape, portrait, guajiros (peasants), still life, marinas, as well as religious and syncretic motifs. In his work, Mariano introduced a variety of stylistic approaches ranging from Figuration to Geometric Abstraction, Abstract Expressionism, and Grotesque Imagery. Mariano studied at San Alejandro Fine Arts Academy in Havana and at San Carlos Academy in Mexico under the tutelage of the renowned painter and muralist Manuel Rodríguez Lozano. Mariano’s work has been present in group exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Brooklyn Museum, New York, as well as at the Pan-American Union in Washington D.C. His work has also been featured at the Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City; Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris; 5th and 7th São Paulo Biennials; former Museo de Arte Moderno, Madrid; Museo de Bellas Artes, Caracas, and the Havana Biennial, among others. The first major retrospective on Mariano Rodríguez in the United States “Mariano: Variations on a Theme”, was presented at the McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College (September-December 2021) and at the Pérez Art Museum Miami – PAMM (August 2022 – January 2023). His work is part of several prestigious private as well as public collections such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana; National Gallery Sofia, Bulgaria; UNESCO, Paris; and Pérez Art Museum Miami, among others.