Santiago Cárdenas was born in Bogotá in 1937. He pursued his art studies at the Rhode Island School of Design, earning a BFA in painting in 1960. After completing military service in the United States Army, he went on to attend Yale University, where he obtained an MFA in painting in 1964. He returned to Colombia in 1965 and has since had an active career.
His works can be found in the collections of various institutions, including the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museo de Arte Moderno de la Tertulia in Cali, the Museo de Arte de la Universidad Nacional de Bogotá, The Chase Manhattan Bank Collection in New York, the Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Sofía Imber in Caracas, the Museo de Arte Moderno in Rio de Janeiro, the Prints Museum in Norway, and the collection of BP Belgium in Antwerp, among others.
His work has been recognized in various competitions in Colombia, South America, Europe, and the United States. He has held over forty solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group shows, including the International Biennial of Medellín in 1973 (First Prize in Painting), the São Paulo Biennial in 1977 (Special Mention), Recent Acquisitions at The Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1977, The Latin American Presence, 1920-1970 at the Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York in 1988, and Art in Latin America at The Hayward Gallery in London in 1989.
