Page 341 - Arte e Historia
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Art and History
at the Banco popular dominicano visual arts collection
Dominicano and Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra and Julio Susana. Clara Ledesma and Jaime Colson ob-
in 1962. tained a recognition in drawing.
The «Banco Popular Dominicano» established as a Lepe, Omega Peláez and Susana are emerging artists
company in August 23th, 1963, is historically the first during the five year period we are focusing on. Some of
national bank with equity capital authorized by the Mon- the artist associated with that time are: Aquiles Azar,
etary Board to begin operations in that year. The political Iván Tovar, Elsa Núñez, Ramón Oviedo, Cándido Bidó,
crisis that triggered the coup against the constitutional José Rincón Mora and Soucy de Pellerano. Almost all
government of Juan Bosch, determined that its inaugural of them attend the First Annual Contest sponsored by
opening were held in a modern building in the Colonial «La Aurora»; under the auspices of an emerging fam-
Zone of Santo Domingo, on January 2, 1964. The «Bank ily patronage that also breaks the monopoly of official
of Alexander,» as it began to be known, given the pas- competitions concentrated in the nation’s capital. Paul
sionate charismatic character of the manager, Alejandro Giudicelli, Guillo Pérez, Martínez Richiez, Gilberto
E. Grullón Espaillat, featured a Promotion Board con- Hernández Ortega, Mario Gaspar Cruz and Clara Ledes-
stituted by entrepreneurs from all major regions of the ma are all honoured experienced authors, while the new
country. In October 1964, it had branches in Higüey, ones, such as Omega Peláez and José Lepe Cestero, were
Moca, San Francisco de Macorís and Santiago de los Ca- recognized.
balleros.
On April 24, 1965, there is a revolt by two military
Alejandro E. Grullón Espaillat was one of the San- garrisons, receiving massive support from civilians mobi-
tiago natives who supported the idea of Bishop Hugo lizing in the capital city. The rebels revoke the Triumvi-
Eduardo Polanco Brito to establish the Universidad rate presided by Donald Reid Cabral, naming José Rafael
Católica Madre y Maestra, founded by the Dominican Molina Ureña Constitutional President, in a ceremony
Episcopal on September 9, 1962. It became the first pri- held at the National Palace on April 25. The Govern-
vate institution of higher education, stimulating a new mental headquarters were bombed by military aircraft
cultural takeoff for the Cibao region, the nation and city opposed to those events, ushering the formation of
overlooking the Yaque river, where the tobacco company two gubernatorial sides: the reactionary one, chaired by
«La Aurora,» founded in 1903 by Eduardo León Jimenes, General Wessin and Wessin, and the constitutional one,
expands its cigar production with brands of cigarettes. It headed by Colonel Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó.
is an equity capital family business that has the initiative The accusation of the Embassy of the United States of
to foster a national art competition of a private nature, Communist infiltration in the ranks of the revolution-
starting in 1964. aries brought about an American military intervention,
expected since Trujillo’s assassination. The interven-
Two official biennials were held during 1960-1965: tion barricaded the revolutionaries in the colonial cen-
the tenth edition (1960), whose jury awarded Paul Giu- tre where they fought, repelling the enemy’s firing and
dicelli and Eligio Pichardo in painting, Omega Carmen bombings, and the attempt to control the rebellious Do-
Peláez and Mario Gaspar Cruz in sculpture, and Leo- minicans. War, national honour and artistic production
poldo Pérez (Lepe), a special drawing prize. The eleventh join together in a heroic deed where poets, musicians
edition was recorded three years later (1963) with the fol- and painters contributed and used their work as a mani-
lowing awards in painting: Paul Giudicelli, Clara Ledes- festo. In the revolutionary sector were Jaime Colson,
ma, Darío Suro and Guillo Pérez. Also, these awards in Gilberto Hernández Ortega, Silvano Lora, Ada Balcácer,
sculpture: Antonio Prats-Ventós, Luis Martínez Richiez
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