One of Cuba’s most celebrated contemporary artists, José Emilio Fuentes Fonseca—known internationally as JEFF—returns with a landmark exhibition that spans nearly three decades of artistic evolution. Landscape at 50 opened in The Hague recently, marking the artist’s European return with a deeply personal and visually striking show.
This exhibition is more than a look back—it’s a journey through memory, identity, and transformation. With his signature childlike brushstrokes, JEFF invites visitors into his world: euphoric, melancholic, and profoundly human.
JEFF made his solo debut in Havana with Paisaje a los 21 años, presented by the Ludwig Foundation nearly 30 years ago. At 37, he stunned audiences again at the Wifredo Lam Center with Paisaje a los 37 años, an impressive retrospective featuring six rooms filled with paintings and large-scale inflated metal sculptures of tulips, elephants, and other fantastical forms.
Now, at 50, JEFF reclaims the “landscape” theme—this time in Europe—with new works that intertwine past and present. Landscape at 50 revisits the symbols and stories of his earlier exhibitions while exploring new narratives shaped by age, experience, and reflection.
“Landscape at 50 is a mental landscape, now from the perspective of a 50-year-old JEFF… old and new elements come together. A midlife crisis in cheerful colors, with the same childlike imagery, but also the traumas of life that he still carries with him.”
— Xantha Berger, Curator
With sharp social satire, references to his Cuban childhood, and raw emotional honesty, JEFF delivers a show that feels as much like a confession as it does a celebration.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to experience one of Cuba’s most authentic artistic voices—now speaking from the heart of The Hague.
Exhibition: Landscape at 50
Artist: José Emilio Fuentes Fonseca (JEFF) Cuba, 1974
Location: ACME Studios, The Hague
Dates: 4 April – 31 May 2025
Image above: JEFF, Fotosynthesis, 2024, acrylic on canvas 180 x 110 cm
Featured image: JEFF From 0 to 7, acrylic on canvas, 200 x 300 cm