Our starting point are the catalogs Llinás compiled for his oil paintings (in two volumes) and the engravings (in 1 volume). Unfortunately, these catalogs are incomplete. Sometimes they contain information on the sale of the respective work, but not always; sometimes drawings take the place of reproductions, sometimes technical data is lacking, and sometimes works for which we have photographic reproductions are not included.

As for engravings, the works are generally accompanied by drawings. Again, not always. That said, we believe that the Estate Paris collection of prints is relatively complete.

As for engravings, the works are generally accompanied by drawings. Again, not always. That said, we believe that the Estate Paris collection of prints is relatively complete.

Neither the collages nor the watercolors and inks have been catalogued by the painter. Far from being minor works, collages in particular seem to us an emblematic practice in llinasian work. We know very little about the whereabouts of the watercolors in particular, which often were gifts for birthdays and sometimes may have have paid medical expenses..

Finally, drawings are conspicuous by their absence, except a few portraits. The Estate has a series of  small notebooks  which contain sketches, reconstructions of works seen in exhibitions and general considerations on history and some esthetic statements. Generally, instead of drawings, they give indications of the colors to be used and how to apply them as well as the signs or forms to be inscribed.

We have created a section for works not listed by the artist. This includes stained-glass windows and sketches for stained-glass windows; theater sets (for which we have no visual documentation); illustrations for books or magazines (of which we have a representative collection); wall paintings, of which either photographs, sketches (in the holdings of the Llinás family in Havana) or “ersatz” woodcuts survive. This section shows also some matrices of wood engravings.

In addition to the works in Estate Paris and those we have been able to locate, we will present other works whose whereabouts are unknown today, relying essentially on the painter’s archive. This often results in poor image quality and a lack of information. Sometimes we don’t know the format, sometimes the technique or the support, and the location of the work in question is more often than not based on information that is more than 30 years old.

Our call for submissions is open to all media and formats. Llinás’ oeuvre is far from abundant – each work is all the more precious and will enrich our knowledge of this major exponent of 20^th-century Cuban art, but also a pioneer of Black Atlantic visual art.