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Nicolás Leiva
Born in Tucumán, Argentina, in 1958, Nicolás Leiva graduated from the Faculty of Arts at the Universidad Nacional de Tucumán in 1983 before continuing his studies in Buenos Aires. Driven by a global vision for his career, he held his first international exhibition in San José, Costa Rica, in 1989.
In 1990, Leiva moved to Miami after receiving a U.S. "exceptional talent" visa. His arrival coincided with Miami’s emergence as a premier hub for Latin American and international contemporary art, a movement in which his work soon became a prominent fixture. Since then, he has exhibited and completed commissions across Latin America, the United States, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East
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Expanding his artistic range in 1996, Leiva began integrating ceramics and pictorial interventions into his repertoire. This evolution saw him applying his aesthetic to industrial surfaces, including automobiles, motorcycles, surfboards, guitars, and inflatables.
Today, he continues to create from his studio in Miami while dividing his time between Florida and Argentina.
AWARDS
2023 Miami Individual Artist (MIA) Grant, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs
2017 “Illustrious Visitor” Honorary Distinction from National University of Tucuman
2017 “Orgullo Tucumano ” Distinction From Ministry of Education , Tucuman, Argentina
2000 Florida Individual artist Fellowship, Florida Department of State
1996 NEA Southern Arts Federation, Atlanta, Georgia
1992 South Florida Cultural Consortium, Miami, Florida
1989 International Art Biennial, Valparaíso, Chile
MUSEUMS AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
Museum Texas University, San Antonio, Texas
Berardo Collection Modern Art, Lisboan, Portugal
Casa Golinelli , Bologna, Italy
Marble Museum of Carrara, Carrara, Italy
Museo Maria Zambrano, Malaga, Espana
MALBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Museum “José Luis Cuevas”, Mexico City, Mexico
Molaa, Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, CA
Miami-Dade Community College Mitchell Wolfson Campus, Miami, Florida. USA
Metro-Dade Cultural Resources, Miami, Florida, USA
Museum of Fine Arts of Tucumán, Argentina
Fundación García Lorca, Madrid, Spain
Empresas Líneas Marítimas Argentinas. Buenos Aires, Argentina
Fondo Nacional de las Artes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Municipalidad de la Ciudad de Aguilares Collection, Tucumán, Argentina