- World Renowned Artists to Perform in Historic Venues –

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA – A new poster celebrating the 2008 Cartagena International Festival of Music January 5 - 12 was introduced to the public for the first time at a gala benefit concert for the festival held on September 14th at the Teatro Colon. The poster, an original creation by acclaimed Colombian artist Santiago Cardenas, was designed expressly for this year’s event.

“It is meaningful to me to be a part of a truly important event for Colombia and Cartagena – a classical music event open to all of the people,” says Cardenas.

Born in Bogota, Santiago Cardenas studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design where he received a BFA degree. He later earned an MFA at Yale University. In 1965, he returned to Colombia and taught art at Universidad de los Andes; Universidad de Bogota Jorge Tadeo Lozano and Universided Nacional de Colombia where he was named Director of the Art School from 1972 to 1974.

His paintings have been exhibited extensively throughout the world including more than 50 one-person exhibits and group shows in Colombia, New York City, Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Paris, Brussels, Bonn, Sao Paolo, Venice, Udine and Norway. He has had retrospective shows of his work in el Museo de Art Moderno de Bogota (2006); Museo de Arte Moderno Sofio Imber de Caracas (1995); Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango de Bogota (1996); and the Museo Rufino Tamayo, Mexico (1996).

Cardenas’ work is represented in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York; Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogota; Museo Tamayo, Mexico; Museo de Arte Moderno Sofia Imber, Caracas; Prints Museum, Oslo; Museo de Arte del Banco de la Republica, Bogota; Museo de Arte Moderno de Rio de Janeiro and many other public and private collections.

In addition, Cardenas has created stage sets for theater and painted several murals and posters for various museums and other institutions.

“We are honored that an artist of Maestro Cardenas’ immense talents has agreed to create an original work of art to represent this year’s festival,” says Julia Salvi, president of the Cartagena International Festival of Music. “The poster Santiago has created is very beautiful and dramatic in its simplicity – it aesthetically links the indigenous musical traditions of Colombia to the wider world of classical music. I’m confident it will be a valued collectible at the festival this year.”

For more information about the 2008 Cartagena International Festival of Music please visit www.cartagenamusicfesival.com.

Click here to download a copy of the original press release in PDF format.