Celeste Woss y Gil

Celeste Woss y Gil
Born	May 5, 1891 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Died	1985 (aged 94–95) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Education	Painting Academy under José Joaquín Tejada Art Students League of New York National Academy of Design
Known for	Art education, Painting

Celeste Agustina Woss y Gil (5 May 1891 – 1985) was a Dominican painter, educator, and feminist activist, remembered as one of the most influential Dominican artists from the 20th century.^[1] Born in Santo Domingo and daughter to former president Alejandro Woss y Gil, she was 12 years old when her family left the country in exile after her father's second presidential term ended in 1903. She spent the rest of her early years living and studying art in Paris, Cuba, and New York City.^[1][2]

Her style fuses post-impressionist influences from Europe with a distinctly Caribbean flavor. She is known for her nudes of women and scenes of bustling marketplaces. In 1924, she put on a solo exhibition of her work, being the first woman to do so in the country.^[1]

Woss y Gil is especially remembered as an influential educator who would go on to teach some of the most well known native artists of the 20th century. She opened an art school in Santo Domingo in 1924, and later a painting and drawing academy in 1931.^[1] In August 1942, Woss y Gil joined the newly established National School of Fine Arts as founding faculty along with artists Josep Gausachs, George Hausdorf, José Vela Zanetti, and Manolo Pascual, later becoming the director. Among her students were artists Gilberto Hernández Ortega and Delia Weber.^[1]

Woss y Gil died in 1985, aged 94–95, in Santo Domingo.^[1]