Celeste Woss y Gil

Celeste Woss y Gil
Born	1890 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Died	1985 (aged 94–95) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Education	• Painting Academy (under the instruction of José Joaquín Tejada)  • Art Students League of New York
Known for	Art education, Painting

Nude, 1941 (Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo)

Celeste Woss y Gil (1890–1985) was a painter from the Dominican Republic, known primarily for her female portraits and nudes.

Early life and education

A native of Santo Domingo, she was the daughter of Alejandro Woss y Gil, who served briefly as president of the Dominican Republic in 1903, and María Ricart. Her family lived in exile in France during the early years of her life, then moved to Cuba.

Woss y Gil began her formal art studies in Cuba at the Painting Academy in Santiago de Cuba, under the instruction of José Joaquín Tejada. She participated in an exhibition in Santiago de Cuba in 1911.

In 1922, she moved to New York City to continue her studies, enrolling at the Art Students League of New York.

Family of Celeste Woss y Gil

8. Carlos Woss (†1851)                       4. Carlos Woss de León                             9. Juana Francisca de León                       19. María Josefa Pérez-Guerra Portes (1819–1877)               2. Alejandro Woss y Gil (1856–1932)                                   20. Francisco Linares               10. Norberto Linares Servillet                       21. Marie Servillet               5. Ana María Linares Ortiz                             11. Concepción Ortiz                       1. Celeste Woss y Gil Ricart                                         12. Pedro Andrés Ricart y Martí (1793–1877)                       6. Antonio Feliciano Ricart Torres (1836–1893)                             13. María Torres                       3. María Salomé Altagracia Ricart Pérez (1864–?)                                   28. Valentín Morales               14. Juan Isidro Pérez de la Paz (1817–1868)                       29. Josefa Pérez de la Paz y Valerio               7. Josefa Leticia Pérez Pérez (1840–1880)

Career

Her work was first exhibited in the United States in 1923.

In 1924, Woss y Gil returned to Santo Domingo to open a small art school. In order to promote the school, she held a solo exhibition of her works that was well received.

In 1928, she moved back to New York City to study human anatomy and broaden her artistic range.

Upon her return to Santo Domingo in 1931, Woss y Gil opened a painting and drawing academy. Painter Gilberto Hernández Ortega was among her many students.

Later, she was a professor at the National School of Fine Arts, which was founded in 1942.

Death

Woss y Gil died, aged 94–95, in Santo Domingo.

See also

• List of 20th-century women artists
• List of Dominican painters

References

• De los Santos, Danilo (2003). Memoria de la pintura dominicana, Volumen 2, Santo Domingo: Grupo León Jimenes.