About the artist:

Painter and engraver Carlos Irizarry was born in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, in 1938. He studied at the School of Art & Design in New York City. At the first Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano y del Caribe, celebrated in 1970, his work received honorable mention from a panel of international judges. In 1972, he was awarded first prize at Exposición Internacional del Grabado de Protesta, in Vienna; and was honored by "Sin Nombre" magazine in 1975. He was a teacher at Liga de Estudiantes de Arte, and co-founder and director of Centro Nacional de Las Artes en San Juan, PR. In 1975, Carlos Irizarry paints a politically loaded work of art, titled "La Transculturación del Puertorriqueño", pictured on the right. Inspired in a work of art by Ramon Frade, he juxtaposes the figure of the typical Puerto Rican peasant with a dark, rotting image of itself, which represents the loss of identity and the process of cultural assimilation to the US. As much has been said about Carlos' temperament as his art. After his training in New York, he returned to the island in 1966, where he contributed much to the graphic arts movement that was flourishing then. His style at the moment was influenced by abstract expressionism. During the early 80's, he begins to explore more fully the concept of art as political movement. During this decade, he creates one of his better known masterpieces, Julia de Burgos, 1983, pictured to the left. Burgos is one of the better known poets of Puerto Rico. His work has been featured in numerous individual exhibitions: Museo de Bellas Artes, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña; Museo de Arte de Ponce; and Museo de Arte e Historia de San Juan, all in PR. BORN: AUGUST 26, 1938, SANTA ISABEL, PUERTO RICO. ART STUDIES: SCHOOL OF ART & DESIGN, THE ART STUDENTS LEAGUE, NEW YORK. INDVIDUAL EXHIBITS: 1963 - CARAVAN HOUSE GALLERY, NY. 1965 - ALLAN RICH GALLERIES, NY. 1966 - GALERIA 63, SAN JUAN, PR. 1968 - LA CASA DEL ARTE, SAN JUAN, PR. 1970 - MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, SAN JUAN, PR. 1971 - UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO, MAYAGUEZ, PR. 1972 - CARLOS IRIZARRY ART STUDIO, SAN JUAN, PR. 1974 - GALERIA COLIBRI, SAN JUAN, PR. 1979 - COLEGIO DE ABOGADOS, MIRAMAR, PR. 1981 - GALERIA ANDRE, HATO REY, PR. 1983 - MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, SAN JUAN, PR. 1989 - MUSEUM OF ART & HISTORY, SAN JUAN, PR. 1992 - MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS, SAN JUAN, PR. 1994 - GALERIA GOTAY, SAN JUAN, PR. 2000 - MUSEO DEL BARRIO, NY. 2006 - GALERIA CANDELA, SAN JUAN, PR. 2998 - MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS, SAN JUAN, PR COLLECTIVE EXHIBITS: 1967 - TIBOR DE NAGY GALLERY, NY. 1968 - LA CASA DEL ARTE, SAN JUAN, PR. 1969 - FIRST BIANNUAL OF LATIN AMERICAN PRINTS, SAN JUAN, PR. 1970 - ASSOCIATED AMERICAN ARTIST, NY. HARRY N. ABRAMS GALLERY, NY. 1971 - SECOND BIANNUAL OF LATIN AMERICAN PRINTS, SAN JUAN, PR. "THE ARTIST AS ADVERSARY" MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NY. 1972 - "THE ART HERITAGE OF PUERTO RICO", THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NY. INTERNATIONAL ART BIANNUAL, MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA. INTERNATIONAL PRINT BIANNUALS: TOKYO, JAPAN, YUGOSLAVIA, AUSTRIA,VIENNA. 1973 - INTERNATIONAL PRINT EXHIBITIONS: CRACOVIA, POLAND, SPAIN. INTERNATIONAL DRAWING EXHIBITION: MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, YUGOSLAVIA. THIRD BIANNUAL OF LATIN AMERICAN PRINTS, SAN JUAN, PR. INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF PRINTS, ARGENTINA. 1974 - INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL. 1975 - EXXON TRAVELING ART EXHIBITION, USA & SAN JUAN, PR. 1976 - CASA DE LAS AMERICAS, HAVANA, CUBA. 1978 - CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, HATO REY, PR. 1979 - INSTITUTE OF PUERTORICAN CULTURE, SAN JUAN, PR. 1980 - EXXON TRAVELING EXHIBITION, USA & SAN JUAN, PR. 1983 - MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, SAN JUAN, PR. 1985 - UNIVERSITY OF EL TURABO, PR. 1986 - PONCE ART MUSEUM, PONCE, PR. 1986 & 1987 - UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO, RIO PIEDRAS, PR. 1987 - MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NY. MUSEO DEL BARRIO, NY. ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES ART MUSEUM, WASHINGTON, DC. 1988 - BRONX MUSEUM OF ART, NY. "COMMITED TO PRINT", MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NY. 1989, 1992 - "A DIFFERENT WAR: VIETNAM IN ART; TRAVELING EXHIBITION: WHATCOM MUSEUM OF ART & HISTORY, BELLINGHAM CORDOVA MUSEUM, LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY,EVASTON, ILLINOIS. AKRON MUSEUM OF ART, AKRON OHIO. MADISON ART CENTER, MADISON, WISCONSIN. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. DAVENPORT MUSEUM OF ART, DAVENPORT, IOWA. COLORADO UNIVERSITY, BOULDER, COLORADO. MUSEUM OF ART, STATE UNIVERSITY OF WASINGTON, PULLMAN. MUSEUM OF ART, MIAMI UNIVERSITY, OXFORD, OHIO. 1991 - FOURTH INTERNATIONAL BIANNUAL ART EXHIBITION, CUBA. 1992 - SEVILLA EXPO, PUERTO RICO PAVILION, SEVILLA, SPAIN. COLLECTIONS MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, LATIN AMERICAN PRINT COLLECTION. METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, PATNTING & PRINT COLLECTION. MUSEO DEL BARRIO, PRINT COLLECTION. PONCE MUSEUM OF ART, PAINTING & PRINT COLLECTION. INSTITUTE OF PUERTORICAN CULTURE, PAINTING & PRINT COLLECTION. UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO, PAINTING & PRINT COLLECTION PUERTO RICO MUSEUM OF ART, PAINTING & PRINT COLLECTION. PRIVATE COLLECTIONS DR. ANGEL LUIS RODRIGUEZ ROSADO DR. RICARDO ALEGRIA HENRY GELDZHALER, EXDIRECTOR AMERICAN ART, METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK ANDY WARHOL PABLO RODRIGUEZ CHILO ANDREU LUIS A. FERRE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK EXXON CORPORATION FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK R.J. REYNOLDS, INC.