Portrait of Helena Bacardí by Hortencia Nuñes Ladevèze
About the artist
Helena Bacardí Kiely was born in Santiago, Cuba and developed her skills in Europe, apprenticing as a sculptor with renowned Spanish artist Hortencia Nuñes Ladevèze in Madrid. There she also benefited from the tutelage of Maestro Fernando Capa at his bronze foundry in Arganda del Rey, where she now continues to work.
She went on to further her education in New York City at the Parsons School of Design, and continued her sculptural work in Brooklyn and in Connecticut, where she currently resides.
Helena’s expertise in working with materials like stone and cast bronze has earned her international recognition, and she has both public and private collections globally.
Helena’s reimagined bronze sculpture recreation of the iconic Bacardí bat was exhibited in 1980 at the Bacardí Art Gallery in Miami, FL. The piece was placed permanently in the Bacardí office buildings in Miami, where it still sits today.
In 2012 Helena completed a monumental bronze-cast portrait of Don Facundo Bacardí, founder of Bacardí rum. The statue was unveiled in 2012 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the company and remains situated in front of Casa Bacardí at the Puerto Rico distillery.
While raising her family, Helena has worked continually as a sculptor on abstract and figurative pieces produced in bronze, marble, alabaster, and wood.
Helena has recently begun to exhibit her work publicly through galleries in New York and Atlanta, where she is proudly represented by Fay Gold Galleries.
Helena Bacardí is currently showcasing her innovative works at Palazzo Bollani in Venice, Italy, as part of the exhibition “The Idea of Sculpture: From the Hand to the Robot“. Running until November 19, 2025.