Oscar Benjamin Cintas y Rodriguez, (31 Mar 1887 in

Sagua la Grande, Cuba Sagua la Grande (nicknamed ''La Villa del Undoso'', sometimes shortened in Sagua) is a municipality located on the north coast of the province of Villa Clara in central Cuba, on the Sagua la Grande River. The city is close to Mogotes de Jumag ...

– 11 May 1957 in New York City, N.Y.) was a prominent

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

and

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

magnate The magnate term, from the late Latin ''magnas'', a great man, itself from Latin ''magnus'', "great", means a man from the higher nobility, a man who belongs to the high office-holders, or a man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or ot ...

who served as

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from 1932 until 1934.

Career

He was educated in London and became director of the Cuban Railroad Company's

sugar mill A sugar cane mill is a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw or white sugar. The term is also used to refer to the equipment that crushes the sticks of sugar cane to extract the juice. Processing There are a number of steps in pro ...

s in Punta Alegre,

Jatibonico Jatibonico is a municipality and town in the Sancti Spíritus Province of Cuba. Demographics In 2012, the municipality of Jatibonico had a population of 42,959. With a total area of , it has a population density of . Catholic Parish Church A gal ...

and Jobabo. He was president of Railroad Equipment of Brazil and Argentina, director of the

American Car and Foundry Company ACF Industries, originally the American Car and Foundry Company (abbreviated as ACF), is an American manufacturer of railroad rolling stock. One of its subsidiaries was once (1925–54) a manufacturer of motor coaches and trolley coaches und ...

and the

American Locomotive Company The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

and had business interests in Europe.

Collector

As a patron of the arts and with the advice of the legendary

Alfred H. Barr Jr. Alfred Hamilton Barr Jr. (January 28, 1902 – August 15, 1981) was an American art historian and the first director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. From that position, he was one of the most influential forces in the development of ...

, Cintas assembled a collection of

Old Masters In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...

and modern paintings that was once considered among the best in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

. In 1940, he lent one of the pieces from the collection,

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

's '' Portrait of a Rabbi on a Wide Cap'', to the "Masterpieces of Art" exhibition at the New York

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

. Bliss Copy
Cintas also collected manuscripts and his acquisitions included the only first edition of

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

' ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

'', and the fifth and final manuscript of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

's "

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a Public speaking, speech that President of the United States, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, Soldiers' National Cemetery, ...

", once owned by the family of Col. Alexander Bliss, and known as the " Bliss copy". Cintas’ purchase of the manuscript, for $54,000, in 1949, set a record at the time for the sale of a document at a public auction. Cintas' properties were claimed by the

Castro government The political career of Fidel Castro saw Cuba undergo significant economic, political, and social changes. In the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro and an associated group of revolutionaries toppled the ruling government of Fulgencio Batista, forcin ...

after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, but Cintas, who died in 1957, willed the Gettysburg Address to the American people, provided it was kept at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

, to where it was transferred in 1959. The manuscript, the only one to which Lincoln added his signature, is exhibited in the

Lincoln Bedroom The Lincoln Bedroom is a bedroom which is part of a guest suite located in the southeast corner of the second floor of the White House in Washington, D.C. The Lincoln Sitting Room makes up the other part of the suite. The room is named for Presid ...

of the White House.

Death and estate

Before his death, Cintas entrusted the administration of his estate, including his art collection, to The

Chase Manhattan Bank JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase Bank or often as Chase, is an American national bank headquartered in New York City, that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of the U.S. multinational banking and fina ...

, N.A., with Ethan Alyea serving as legal counsel. With the help and encouragement of

David Rockefeller David Rockefeller (June 12, 1915 – March 20, 2017) was an American investment banker who served as chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Corporation. He was the oldest living member of the third generation of the Rockefeller family, ...

, Alyea named a blue ribbon board of trustees to carry out Cintas’ wishes for a foundation. Early members of the board included Theodore Rousseau (curator of the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

), Porter A. McCray (director of the International Program at New York's

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

) and

A. Hyatt Mayor Alpheus Hyatt Mayor (1901–1980) was an American art historian and curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a leading figure in the study of prints, both old master prints and popular prints. A. Hyatt Mayor's father was marine biologist Alfre ...

(curator of prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art).

CINTAS Foundation

The foundation's original name, the Cuban Art Foundation, was changed in 1962 to honor its founder. The Cintas' legacy has fostered the development of Cuban artists, promoting the professional development of these artists and the continuity of Cuban traditions in art. Cintas' foresight has resulted in more than 300 fellowships and grants to creative writers, architects, composers, visual artists and filmmakers, many of whom have later achieved national and international renown. The roster of Cintas fellows is a testament to the talent and creativity of the Cubans and their direct descendants who have live throughout the world. The Cintas Foundation is the oldest entity in the United States dedicated to the support of Cuban artists. In addition to the fellowships, the CINTAS Foundation oversees two major art collections in the United States and sponsors exhibitions curated from these collections. The CINTAS Fellows collection is composed of works donated by the fellows in appreciation of the CINTAS fellowship. It has grown to be the largest body of Cuban art outside Cuba and continues to grow regularly. The CINTAS Foundation awards fellowships annually to creative artists of Cuban lineage. The CINTAS Foundation was established with funds from the estate of Cintas. CINTAS Fellowships acknowledge demonstrated creative accomplishments and encourage the development of creative artists in architecture, literature, music composition and the visual arts. Past recipients include the Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist

Oscar Hijuelos Oscar Jerome Hijuelos (August 24, 1951 – October 12, 2013) was an American novelist. Of Cuban descent, during a year-long convalescence from a childhood illness spent in a Connecticut hospital he lost his knowledge of Spanish, his parents' ...

, the playwright

Maria Irene Fornes Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

, painters Carlos Alfonzo and Emilio Falero, the photographer

Andres Serrano Andres Serrano (born August 15, 1950) is an American photographer and artist. His work, often considered transgressive art, includes photos of corpses and uses feces and bodily fluids. His '' Piss Christ'' (1987) is a red-tinged photograph of a ...

, the architect

Andrés Duany Andrés Duany (born September 7, 1949) is an American architect, an urban planner, and a founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism. Early life and education Duany was born in New York City but grew up in Cuba until 1960. He attended The Choa ...

, the poet

Silvia Curbelo Silvia Curbelo is a Cuban-born, American poet and writer. Career She is the author of four collections of poetry including ''Falling Landscape'' (Anhinga Press, 2015) ''Ambush'' (Main Street Rag, 2004), ''The Secret History of Water'' (Anhinga ...

, sculptors

María Elena González María Elena González (born 1957) is a Cuban-American sculptor based in Brooklyn and the Bay Area.Cascone, Sarah"María Elena González Talks to the Trees at Hirschl & Adler Modern,"''Artnet News'', February 10, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2023 ...

and

Rafael Consuegra Rafael Consuegra (September 16, 1941 – September 17, 2021) was a Cuban-born American sculptor and ceramist who worked in the United States and Europe. Consuegra was born in Havana, Cuba. He left the island in 1960 and established residence ...

, as well as the composer Orlando Garcia.

External links

Cintas Foundation website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cintas, Oscar B. 1887 births 1957 deaths 20th-century Cuban businesspeople People from Sagua la Grande Ambassadors of Cuba to the United States