About Carlos Enrique Prado
Carlos Enrique Prado is a Cuban-born sculptor, ceramic artist, and educator based in Miami, Florida. Internationally recognized for his portrait sculpture, public monuments, and contemporary ceramic works, he has devoted more than three decades to exploring the expressive possibilities of the human figure. His artistic practice combines a profound understanding of classical sculpture with a contemporary vision, creating works that capture not only physical likeness but also the character, presence, and humanity of the people they represent.
Born into a family closely connected to the arts, Prado began his formal artistic education at the National Academy of Fine Arts San Alejandro, where he graduated in Sculpture and Drawing in 1996. He later earned both his Bachelor of Fine Arts (2002) and Master of Fine Arts (2008) from ISA, the University of the Arts of Cuba, the country's leading institution for higher education in the visual arts.
Throughout his career he has worked across a wide range of artistic media—including sculpture, ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, digital art, installation, and performance—but sculpture has always remained at the center of his artistic practice. His work has consistently explored themes of cultural memory, identity, history, migration, and the human condition through a strong anthropological perspective. Today he is especially known for his figurative sculpture, which reinterprets the classical tradition while addressing contemporary social and cultural questions.
His artwork has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia in museums, galleries, universities, and cultural institutions, and is represented in numerous public and private collections. Prado is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC), one of the world's most prestigious organizations dedicated to ceramic art, and a professor of Ceramics and Sculpture at the University of Miami, where he teaches sculpture and ceramics while maintaining an active professional studio practice.
Portrait Sculpture
Portrait sculpture has been one of the defining aspects of Carlos Enrique Prado's career since the beginning of his professional practice in 1996. Over nearly three decades he has developed an extensive body of commissioned portraits in bronze, ceramic, marble, resin, and other media, ranging from intimate family portraits to monumental public memorials.
His portraits are distinguished by their exceptional anatomical accuracy, expressive modeling, and careful attention to psychological presence. Rather than producing a simple physical resemblance, Prado seeks to reveal the individuality and personality of each subject, creating sculptures that remain meaningful for generations.
His work has been commissioned by museums, municipalities, universities, cultural institutions, corporations, and private collectors. Among his best-known portrait commissions are the bronze bust of the legendary ballerina Alicia Alonso, created for the National Museum of Dance in Havana; the bronze bust of celebrated Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, also commissioned by the Museum of Dance; and the monumental bronze sculpture of poet Dulce María Loynaz, permanently installed at the Taoro Park Viewpoint in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain.
In addition to public commissions, Prado has completed numerous private portrait sculptures honoring family members, business leaders, educators, physicians, military veterans, and community figures. Every commission is individually conceived through close collaboration with the client, ensuring historical accuracy, artistic excellence, and a faithful representation of the subject's personality.
Whether creating a life-size public monument or a family keepsake, Prado approaches every portrait with the same commitment to craftsmanship, permanence, and artistic integrity.
Public Art
Carlos Enrique Prado has established an important international career as a public artist, creating permanent sculptures that commemorate historical figures, celebrate civic identity, and enrich public spaces.
His public monuments include A Man and a Horse, the monumental bronze sculpture honoring President Ronald Reagan installed at Tropical Park in Miami, Florida; Rising Above the Horizon, commissioned for the Medley Town Hall; the monument to Cuban independence hero Serafín Sánchez; the monument honoring freedom fighter Rogelio González Corzo ("Francisco"); and the monument dedicated to poet Dulce María Loynaz in Tenerife, Spain.
These large-scale commissions demonstrate the same artistic principles that characterize his portrait sculptures: rigorous historical research, careful anatomical observation, expressive realism, and a deep understanding of the symbolic role that sculpture plays in public memory. His experience designing, engineering, and executing permanent outdoor monuments allows him to successfully manage projects from the initial concept and maquette through fabrication, installation, and long-term durability.
Contemporary Sculpture
Alongside his commissioned portrait work, Carlos Enrique Prado has developed an internationally recognized body of contemporary sculpture. His recent ceramic works reinterpret iconic sculptures from the Greco-Roman tradition through a contemporary lens, examining issues of migration, cultural memory, identity, and the transmission of historical narratives.
Working with traditional ceramic processes alongside digital modeling and ceramic 3D printing technologies, he combines centuries-old sculptural techniques with contemporary fabrication methods. This dialogue between tradition and innovation has earned him international recognition through exhibitions, artist residencies, grants, awards, and museum acquisitions.
His ceramic sculptures are included in important public collections, including the National Museum of Ceramics in Havana and the Arizona State University Art Museum Ceramics Research Center.
Educator
In addition to his artistic practice, Carlos Enrique Prado has dedicated much of his career to teaching sculpture and ceramics. Before relocating to the United States, he taught for more than a decade at ISA, the University of the Arts of Cuba, where he also served as Head of the Sculpture Department.
He has been invited as a visiting artist, lecturer, and professor at numerous universities and art institutions in the United States and abroad, sharing his expertise in figurative sculpture, ceramics, mold making, glazing, kiln firing, and public art. Since 2014, he has been a faculty member at the University of Miami, where he teaches sculpture and ceramics while mentoring the next generation of artists.
Commissioning a Portrait
Carlos Enrique Prado accepts a limited number of portrait commissions each year for individuals, families, institutions, museums, universities, corporations, and public organizations.
Each portrait begins with a thorough study of the subject through photographs, life sittings when possible, historical research, and conversations with the client. The process emphasizes both artistic excellence and historical fidelity, resulting in sculptures that celebrate the life and legacy of the individual portrayed.
Whether the commission is a commemorative bust, a life-size figure, an equestrian monument, or a contemporary portrait sculpture, every project receives the same personal attention and commitment to quality.
For additional information about Carlos Enrique Prado's exhibitions, public art projects, contemporary sculpture, and professional career, please visit:
Official Website
https://www.carlospradoart.comStudio Blog – Art & News
https://carlospradoart.blogspot.com
