Spanish Pavilion. In 1963, Fuertes left for Rome, where he won the first place prize for his painting Torneo Medieval, awarded by the Grand Prix de Rome for Painting and Sculpture. It was in Italy that he developed a friendship with Giorgio de Chirico, the master painter of metaphysical art, with whom, in 1965, he exhibited his work alongside notable constructivists and surrealists such as Balthus, Umberto Boccioni and Carlo Carra. Upon his return to Paris, Fuertes met Alechinsky. He would also meet regularly with Apel and other artists at the La Coupole Café on the Boulevard du Montparnasse. It was at these meetings that Fuertes began his friendship with the abstract painter, Viola. In 1967, Dalí presented a Fuertes' exhibition at the Grévin Museum in Paris and, in the two years that followed, Fuertes exhibited along with Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Francis Picabia, Paul Delvaux, Félix Labisse, Man Ray, Max Ernst, and others. After that, his paintings were extensively exhibited around Europe and in the United States. Later life In 1979, Fuertes moved to São Paulo, Brazil, where he developed some coloring expressions – a true representation of one of the first forms of "tropical neo-cubism". In São Paulo he gained the respect and admiration of local modern-art collectors, museums, and the general public. In 1996, Fuertes established a studio in Miami, Florida, where he lived until his death in June 2006, at the age of 68. Awards 1953 Second place prize at the Young European Painters Exposition in Berlin 1963 Grand Prix de Rome for Painting and Sculpture. First place prize for his painting "Torneo Medieval" Exhibitions (List as per Artnet) 1953 - Young European Painters International Show, Berlin, Germany 1954 - Saya Gallery, Lille, France 1955 - Brachot Gallery, Bruxelles, Belgium 1956 - New Tendencies, Le Petite Gallery, Paris, France 1957 - Bateauivre Gallerie, Paris, France, with Bernard Buffet 1958 - Bruxelles International Expo, Spanish Pavilion, Exhibited with Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies and Pablo Picasso 1959 - Gallery at the Hotel Saint Regis, New York 1960 - Magnus Gallery, Perpignan, France 1961 - Escrigit Gallery, Amberes, Belgium 1962 - Euroart Gallery, Paris, France 1964 - Simon Swartz Gallery, Switzerland 1965 - Circo Gallery, Rome, Italy, with notable constructivists and Italian surrealists Baltazar Baltrus, Umberto Boccioni, De Chirico and Carlo Carra 1966 - Luigi Amasso Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts 1967 - Grévin Museum, Paris, France, exhibition presented