Born in Cuba in 1921, sculptor, draftsman, and printmaker Roberto Estopiñán is a celebrated artist and considered a pioneer of modern sculpture in Latin American art.

During the 1960s, Estopiñán's work feautured haunting faces and strained forms filled with despair, conveying his preocccupation with, and compassion for, those who have experienced injustice. These artworks in many ways run counter to his later works that focus more on beauty and the exploration of form.

Perhaps the most prevalent subject in Estopiñán's work is the female torso. Beginning in the late 1970s, these abstracted torsos in his work are reminiscent of the elongated, often swollen forms of European sculptors, but include familiar textures of the artist's earlier work. These bone-like, somewhat surreal shapes not only capture the beauty of the torso , but also hint at Estopiñán's struggle to balance texture with the softness of the female form.

Roberto Estopiñán, Untitled (Fate), 1967, Ink and graphite on paper, Gift of Carmina Benguria in memory of the artist, Polk Museum of Art Permanent Collection 2017.2.7