The prestigious auction house Gros & Delettrez will present an extraordinary collection of works by Jesse A. Fernández (1925-1986) for sale during Paris Photo 2025, taking place November 13-16 at the Grand Palais. This exceptional auction features over 250 lots of photographs, drawings, and curious boxes by the Cuban photographer, draftsman, and assembler whose cosmopolitan and unique vision significantly influenced 20th-century visual history. The timing is particularly meaningful as it coincides with the centenary of the artist's birth, providing a rare opportunity to rediscover his remarkable body of work.
The auction is scheduled for Saturday, November 15th at 2 PM at the auction house's new location on rue de Bérite in Paris's 6th arrondissement. Fernández first gained international recognition in the late 1950s with his historic portraits of Fidel Castro during the early days of the Cuban Revolution. These powerful images, commissioned by Lunes de Revolución at the request of his friend, writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante, demonstrated remarkable insight and artistic vision. Rather than serving as simple propaganda or basic reportage, these photographs revealed the complexity of the man behind the political figure through the lens of a true artist.
Throughout his career, Fernández captured portraits of some of the most influential figures of the 20th century. His subjects included renowned artists Francis Bacon, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, and Hans Hartung, as well as literary giants Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez. He also photographed legendary musicians and performers including Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, and Marlene Dietrich. One of his most notable works features Ernest Hemingway in Havana, captured in 1957. His photographs appeared in major international publications such as Life, Time, Paris Match, and The New York Times, cementing his reputation as a photographer of global significance.
Born in Havana in 1925, Jesse Antonio Fernández embodied the spirit of a truly cosmopolitan 20th-century artist, moving between continents and cultures throughout his life. His early years were marked by displacement and exile, experiences that would profoundly shape his artistic vision. His family first fled to Spain to escape the dictatorship of Machado, then returned to Cuba to avoid the Spanish Civil War. In 1936, the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War forced his family to make a dramatic escape back to Cuba on the last ship departing from Santander, an experience that left an indelible mark on his understanding of exile and displacement.
After studying at the San Alejandro Academy in Havana, Fernández moved to New York in the late 1940s, where he studied under the influential artist George Grosz. During his time in New York, he became part of an extraordinary artistic community, meeting and working alongside Marcel Duchamp, Frederick Kiesler, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Robert Motherwell. A pivotal moment came in 1948 when he met Wifredo Lam, who introduced him to European painters who had settled in New York, including Esteban Francés and Frederick Kiesler. He was also a regular at the famous Painters Club on 8th Street, where he mingled with de Kooning, Pollock, and Milton Resnick.
Fernández's artistic journey continued to evolve as he explored different mediums and locations. In 1957, he worked as a photographer on the set of Luis Buñuel's film "Nazarín" in Mexico, gaining valuable experience in cinematic photography. The following year, he became art director of the magazine Visión in New York while simultaneously continuing his work as a photojournalist, with his work distributed through agencies including the prestigious Gamma agency. His talent and contribution to the arts were formally recognized when he received CINTAS Fellowships in 1967-1968 and 1975-1976, a major honor within the Cuban diaspora community.
It was during his time in Colombia from 1952 to 1954 that Fernández truly discovered his passion for photography as an art form. Influenced by the work of legendary photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson and Walker Evans, he began to see photography as what he described as "a form of contact with reality." This philosophical approach to the medium would define his work throughout his career, allowing him to capture not just images, but the essence of his subjects and the times in which he lived.
The public viewing of the collection will take place from November 12-14, 2025, at Gros & Delettrez's location at 2 rue de Bérite in Paris's 6th arrondissement. The auction catalog will be available in early October, with press copies available upon request through postal or courier service. International collectors and art enthusiasts will be able to participate through online bidding platforms including Drouot Live, Interencheres, and Invaluable, making this historic collection accessible to a global audience.
