The Arnaldo Ravelo de Avellaneda papers contain correspondence, ephemera, clippings, diaries, writings, and photographs and slides of artworks related to the Cuban visual artist and writer, Arnaldo Ravelo de Avellaneda (1929-1979).
The collection of ephemera includes announcements, brochures and promotional materials for Ravelo’s work in galleries in Cuba and the United States. The photographs and slides in this collection visually catalog individual pieces of Ravelo’s painting and sculpture. Clippings from art magazines and newspapers document Ravelo’s work and career as an artist and writer.
Correspondence chronicles Ravelo’s time in Cuba during the late 1950s as well as his studies in Madrid, Spain and stay in Brussels, Belgium. Letters from the 1960s and 1970s document the period that Ravelo lived, studied, and worked in the United States, mainly in New York City and Miami. Correspondents include fellow artists and writers, especially those of René Cordero and Alba Venicia Marlene Zunzunegui, who became the executrix of Ravelo’s estate upon his death in 1979.
A collection of diaries dating from the period 1966 to 1978 contain short entries in date books on daily activities, along with some sketches and poetry. Ravelo also wrote essays, criticism and poetry, and a small group of manuscripts are contained in his papers.
