Artist. He was the last of the Cuban master sculptors, known for his imposing work in different styles. He began drawing and sculpting clay figures as a boy and was educated at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana. From 1945 to 1959, he received much acclaim for his life-sized sculptures and carvings, as well as hosting a weekly television art show. Relocating to America in the early 1960s, he changed his style from classical to modernist, working with hammered metal and bronze, creating sensuous and more abstract sculptures. His work was displayed in countless shows and museums, and for over 17 years he had an exhibit in the Schoneman Gallery in New York City. At a formal White House ceremony in 1976, Carbonell presented “The Bicentennial Eagle” as his gift to the United States; the sculpture is presently part of the Smithsonian Collection. In 1986, he was critically acclaimed as one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century and was recognized as a world wide representative of sculpture interpretation. He also is known for many large scale outside landmarks such as the “Amantes” in Buenaventura, Panama, “New Generation” Shanghai, China, the 53-foot bronze monument “The Tequesta Family” and 21-foot bronze alabaster monument “El Centinela Del Rio”, both in Florida. In his later years he continued to display at one-man shows and exhibits along with art fairs Nationally and Internationally. He died from natural causes at age 93. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)