Alexis Rodríguez-Duarte is a New York based art photographer, author and filmmaker born in Havana, Cuba and is the author of a book entitled, Presenting Celia Cruz. In 1968 he and his parents were among Cuban exiles who left the island aboard the humanitarian air lifts called the Freedom Flights. Rodriguez–Duarte’s family settled in Miami’s Little Havana community and at the age of 10, was given his first camera by his grandfather, which led to his love affair with photography. Today, he is an internationally renowned photographer known for his elegant fashion photographs, conceptual art photos, male nudes and celebrity portraits. Rodriguez-Duarte in collaboration with his husband of 35 years, Tico Torres have photographed some of the world’s leading artists, celebrities and public figures such as Jeff Koons, Madonna, Maurizio Cattelan, Rachel Feinstein, Daniel Arsham, Andy Garcia, Carolina Herrera, Gloria Vanderbilt and Enrique Iglesias among many others. His photos have appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Town & Country, Harper’s Bazaar, Out, People, The New York Times, Harper's Bazaar Art China, Elle Men China, Rolling Stone China and the British, French, German and Spanish editions of Vogue, among other major publications and international advertising campaigns for designers such as Paul Smith for his Autumn/Winter 2020 campaign. His work is in many private and public collections and has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris, France), the Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology, New York), the Jewish Museum (New York City), the Annenberg Space for Photography (Los Angeles), Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Havana, Cuba), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Havana Biennial, Lowe Art Museum at University of Miami, Museum of the City of New York, Fototeca de Cuba (Havana, Cuba), Museo de Arte de Ponce (Puerto Rico), El Museo Latino (Omaha, Nebraska), the Bass Museum (Miami Beach), the Cuban Museum (Miami), Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, Texas), Museum of Art & Design (Miami), the Miami-Dade Public Library System, the Bronx Museum, the Coral Gables Museum and the Leslie Lohman Museum of Art (New York). He has been an adjunct professor at the International Center for Photography (ICP) in NYC and has lectured at The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, The Annenberg Space for Photography, The International Center for Photography (ICP), Miami International Book Fair, The Cuban Heritage Collection at University of Miami, The Museum of the City of New York, The Latino Museum (Omaha, NE), and The New School (NYC) among others. His portrait of artist, Emilio Sanchez was chosen by the United States Postal Service for the panel sheet accompanying Sanchez’s stamps and commemorating his centennial.
Rodriguez-Duarte and Torres have been documenting the Cuban diaspora since 1993 for a portrait series entitled, Cuba Out of Cuba. Torres and his family were also among Cuban exiles who left the island on the Freedom Flights and eventually settled in Miami’s Hialeah community. Torres, a fashion stylist who is a master of the mise-en-scène, helped create the scene with Rodriguez-Duarte of the joyous image of Celia Cruz standing amid the towering palms of Fairchild Tropical Garden in a traditional ruffled Cuban “guarachera” gown which the National Portrait Gallery has called the iconic photograph of Celia. The Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery now has a portfolio of 18 portraits from the Cuba Out of Cuba series in their permanent collection.
MUSEUM COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS:
Library of Congress, Washington D.C.
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.
The Museum at FIT, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York
The Jewish Museum, New York
Miami Dade Public Library, Miami, Florida
LnS Gallery Miami, Florida
Cuban Heritage Collection at University of Miami
Lehigh University Art Galleries, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba
The Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
Fototeca de Cuba, Havana, Cuba
Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Texas
Queens Museum of Art, New York
Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pennsylvania
Blanton Museum, University of Texas, Austin
The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York
El Museo del Barrio, New York, New York
The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, Miami, Florida
Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, Indiana
Kinsey Institute, Bloomington, Indiana
The Cuban Museum, Miami, Florida
Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Utica, New York
Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico
Snite Museum of Art, Notre Dame, Indiana
The University Museum, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois
Syracuse University Art Galleries, New York
University of Wyoming Art Museum, Laramie, Wyoming
CLIENTS INCLUDE:
Abercrombie & Fitch
Advocate
Billboard
British GQ
British Vogue
Condé Nast Traveler
ELLE Men China
EMI Records
Esquire
Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar Art China
Interview
Latina
L'Oréal
L'Uomo Vogue
Miami International Film Festival
Neiman Marcus
New Yorker
New York Times
Ocean Drive
Out
Paul Smith
People Magazine
Sony Music
Town & Country
United States Postal Service
Vanity Fair
Vogue España
Vogue Paris
Vogue Germany
Wallpaper Magazine
Women’s Entertainment Channel
TICO TORRES
FASHION STYLIST / CASTING DIRECTOR / ART DIRECTOR
EXPERIENCE :
Has worked in the fashion photography industry for more than 30 years as a freelance
fashion stylist, casting director, location scout, producing photo shoots and on-set art director.
Worked for many national and international publications as a freelance stylist.
Dressed and styled celebrities, worked on advertising campaigns, etc.
Fluent in English and Spanish, conversational in French.
Style Advisor for the Madison Avenue Flagship and Broadway & 82nd Street stores.
- Responsible for increasing metric sales
- Training Sales Associates at all New York City locations on how to increase sales and
showing styling options for looks.
- Style customers/models and host for fashion events, etc.
- Expand client base by introducing customers to brand, style by design appointments and
by fostering and maintaining strong communication and relations with customers.
- Ensure a team atmosphere and positive employee relations.
- Train new Style Advisors at various store locations across the country.
- Freelance fashion stylist responsible for styling sale books, mailers, in-store signage and
Holiday Sale books.
- Kids casting director. Held castings for kids, booked, scheduled, confirmed and styled
shoots.
- On-set art director for the Florida and Puerto Rico divisions of Macys, overseeing hair,
make-up, photography, lighting, etc. Responsible for look of final images for catalogs.
- Styling models and celebrities such as Gloria Estefan, Enrique Iglesias, Janet Jackson,
Rita Moreno, Chita Rivera, Gianni Versace, Lauren Hutton, Daisy Fuentes, Jon Secada,
Cristina Saralegui, Demi Moore and Andy Garcia among many others.
- Fashion styling work has appeared in publications such as Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar,
Town & Country, L’Uomo Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ, People en Español, Latina, Out Hearst Publications
and the German, Spanish and Italian editions of Vogue Magazine among others.
- Styled advertising campaigns for clients such as Paul Smith, Max Mara, Wilke-Rodriguez
Menswear, Women’s Entertainment Channel and L’Oreal among others.
- Collaborate with photographer, Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte as stylist and on-set art director for
his editorial magazine work. Booked studios, locations, catering, etc.
- Worked with photographers such as Bruce Weber, Richard Avedon, Norman Parkinson,
Bill Heuberger, Tim Geanny, Steven Klien & Toshi Tasaki among others.
- Clients included Macys, Coca Cola, Walmart & Bebe among others.
- Booked, confirmed and scheduled models for photo shoots.
- Oversaw all aspects of office and photo studio.
- Casting for models for Abercrombie & Fitch and other advertising campaigns.
- Contacted and booked celebrities for photo shoots for W and Interview Magazines.
CO-AUTHOR OF A BOOK ENTITLED, PRESENTING CELIA CRUZ (Clarkson
Potter/Random House, 2004)
