Rafael Ferrer
San Juan, PR, 1933
Biography Details
Painter, sculptor, printmaker, performer, professor and musician. He studied music at Syracuse University, N.Y., and in 1952 commenced studies at the University of Puerto Rico, where he was a student of Spanish artist Eugenio Fernández Granell. During those years, he exhibited a series of installations and sculptures that were assembled with discarded materials, which caused great impact for breaking with the refined aesthetics of Puerto Rican art. He settled in Philadelphia during the sixties and seventies and became one of the principal provocateurs of a movement now called “process art” that focused on the process of creation rather than the resulting work. He was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship and on three occasions the scholarship granted by the National Endowment for the Arts (1972, 1978 and 1989). He also has been a professor at several universities in the United States. His work has been presented consistently in numerous solo and group exhibitions since 1961 to the present. Collections such as those of The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, all in New York, have acquired his work. He has been widely recognized as an avant-garde artist, and his work has been associated with Neo Dadaism and anti art.
Artist Statement
“An artist noted for his simple and very straight forward style. Always working directly from life, his images are brightly colored figures. He presents a kind of sophisticated naïve style”.
Source: Love, Richard. American Art Forum. TV Interview. EDITEL Chicago. Duration 27 minutes, 46 seconds, October 19, 1987.
Formation
Education
1951
- Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, United States
Professional Experience
1992
- Visiting Professor. Tyler School of Art, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, United States
1990
- Visiting Professor. Anderson Ranch Art Center, Snowmass, Colorado, United States
1984-1989
- Visiting Professor. University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States
1981
- Visiting Professor. Youngstown State University, Ohio, United States
- Visiting Professor. Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, Maine, United States
1978-80
- School of Visual Arts. New York, United States
1967-1976
- Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia, Pensilvania, Estados Unidos /
- Philadelphia College of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
1975
- Visiting Professor. San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California, United States
- Visiting Professor. University of California, Hayward, California, United States
1974
- Visiting Professor. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
1972, 1973
- Visiting Professor. University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
1971
- Visiting Professor. University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, United States
Lecturer
- The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Atlanta College of Art, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- Boston Museum School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Brigham Young University, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, California, United States
- Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States
- Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
- Denison University, Granville, Ohio, United States
- Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States
- Institute of Contemporary Art of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Madison Art Center, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
- Maryland Institute of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Miami-Dade Community College, Miami, Florida, United States
- Northern Illinois State University, DeKalb, Illinois, United States
- Northwood Institute, Dallas, Texas, United States
- Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
- San Jose State University, San Jose, California, United States
- San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California, United States
- School of Visual Arts, New York City, New York, United States
- Tyler School of Art, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, United States
- University of Colorado at Denver, Boulder, Pueblo; Colorado, United States
- University of Illinois, Chicago Circle, Illinois, United States
- University of Texas, El Paso, Texas, United States
- Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States
- Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
2017
- Mantic Faces, Freddy Gallery, Harris, New York, United States
2015-2016
- MCA / DNA Rafael Ferrer, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, United States
2015
- Reflections, Ille Arts, Amagansett, New York, United States
2012
- Calor, Adam Baumgold Gallery, New York, United States
- David Castillo Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States
- Works On Paper A Survey 1952-2012, Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States
2011-2012
- Contrabando, Guild Hall, East Hampton, New York, United States
2011
- Recent Work, Adam Baumgold Gallery, New York, United States
2010
- Retro/activo: El trabajo de Rafael Ferrer, Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
2003
- Isla, Galería Botello, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2001
- Lecciones, Galería Botello, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- I Love New York, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- The body Project, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
2000
- Gateways, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Small Format, Project Space, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1998
- Galería Botello, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1997
- Coral Gables, Florida, United States
1996
- Survey, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, New York, United states
1995
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1994
- Barbara Okun Gallery, New York, United States
- Galería Botello, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Marta Gutiérrez Fine Arts, Key Biscayne, Florida, United Sates
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1992
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1990
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Mangel Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1989
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1988
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Mangel Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
1986
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1985
- Galerie Darthea Speyer, Paris, France
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1988
- Paintings 1981-85, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minnesota, United States
- Rafael Ferrer, Beaver College, Glenside, Pennsylvania, United States
- Rafael Ferrer, Neuberger Museum, State University of New York, Purchase, New York, United States
1984
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1983
- Indiana State University, Indiana, United States
- El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
- University of Southern Florida, Florida, United States
1982
- Frumkin & Struve, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Northern Illinois University, De Kalb, Illinois, United States
- Rafael Ferrer: Impassioned Rhythms, Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, Texas, United States
1978
- Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1981
- Okun-Thomas Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri, United States
- Hamilton Gallery of Contemporary Art, New York, United States
1978
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- The New Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
1977
- Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, United States
- Marianne Deson Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- One-man indoor-outdoor installation, Fort Worth Art Museum, one-man indoor-outdoor installation, Texas, United States
- Galerie Darthea Speyer, Paris, France
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1976
- Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States
- The New Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
1975
- Museo del Grabado Latinoamericano, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1974
- Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States
- Miami-Dade Community College Art Gallery, Florida, United States
- Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware, United States
- Isla,
- Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States
- Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Phyllis Kind Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Phoenix Gallery, San Francisco, California, United States
1973
- Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, United States
1972
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, United States
- The Museum of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- University of Rhode Island Fine Arts Center, Kingston, Rhode Island, United States
1968, 1970
- Galería Leo Castelli, New York, United States
1970
- Leo Castelli Gallery, New York, United States
- Defected Fountain,
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Galerie Michery, Amsterdam, Holland
- Galerie M.E. Thelen, Cologne, West Germany, Germany
- University of Hartford Art Gallery, Connecticut, United States
1969
- Eastern Connecticut State College, Willimantic, Connecticut, United States
- Three Leaf Pieces, Castelli Gallery, New York, United States
- Galerie M.E. Thelen, Cologne, West Germany, Germany
1966
- Pan American Union, Washington DC, United States
Casa del Arte, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1964
- Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
1962
- Esculturas, Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Group Shows
2019-Present
- Puerto Rico Plural, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2019
- Alex Bradley Cohen and Rafael Ferrer, Parts and Labor, Beacon, New York, United States
- Eye Contact, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Downtown Painting, Peter Freeman, Inc. New York, United States
- Words in Pictures, Adam Baumgold Gallery, New York, United States
2018
- A Time Before We Were Born, The Sylvia Wald and Po Kim Gallery, New York, United States
- Constructing Identity in America, Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, New Jersey, United States
2016
- Under the Same Sun: Art from Latin America, South London Gallery, London, England
- Fluid Ecologies: Hispanic Caribbean Art from the Permanent Collection, The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States
2015
- Tightrope Walk: Painted Images After Abstraction, White Cube / Bermondsey, London, England
- Under the Same Sun, Jumex Museum, Mexico DF, Mexico
- America Is Hard to See, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, United States
2014
- Under the Same Sun, Guggenheim Museum, New York, United States
2013
- When Attitudes Become Form: Bern 1969 / Venice 2013, Fondazione Prada, Venice, Italy
- Open Work in Latin American, New York and Beyond: Conceptualism Reconsidered 1967-1978, The Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Art Gallery, Hunter College, New York, United States
2012
- Wish You Were Here: The Buffalo Avant-Garde of the 1970's, Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, New York, United States
- Interconexiones, Lecturas curatoriales de la Colección del MAPR, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011
- América Latina: Arte y Confrontación 1910-2010, Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico
- Pictures of the Body, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
2009
- Puerto Rico: Geografía Humana, Imágenes del siglo XXI, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2008
- Art No Es Vida: Actions By Artists Of The Americas 1960-2000, El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
2007-2008
- Contexto Puertorriqueño: El Rococó Colonial al arte global, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Upon An Ether Sea: Water and Ship Imagery from the MCA Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, United States
2007
- Azul, Galería Petrus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2004
- MoMA at El Museo, Latin American and Caribbean Art from the Collection of the Museum of Modern Art, El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
- North Fork / South Fork: East End Art Now, Parrish Museum of Art, Southampton, New York, United States
2003
- Modern Shadows, The Painting Center, New York, United States
- Voces y Visiones, Highlights from El Museo del Barrio's Permanent Collection, El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
2002
- Shark's, Ink 1976 - 2001, Gallery of Contemporary Art, UCCS, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
- El Arte A Través del Tiempo, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Voices from Our Communities, El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
- Real(ist) Men, Selby Gallery, Ringling School of Art and Design, Sarasota, Florida, United States
2001-2002
- Collector’s Show, The Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
- The Body Project, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Perspectives on a Decade of Collecting at El Museo del Barrio, El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
2000
- Latin American Still Live, Reflections of Time and Place, El Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
1999-2000
- Gateways, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1998
- Anniversary Show, Frederic Snitzer Gallery, Coral Gables, Florida United States
1997
- Mary-Anne Martin Fine Art, Miami, Florida, United States
1996-1997
- The Boat, Object and Metaphor, Pratt Institute, Pratt Manhattan and Schafler Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, United States
1996
- Large Drawings and Objects: Expressive Voices of the Meaningful, Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
- Latin Viewpoints: Into the Mainstream of Art, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, New York, United States
- Modern and Contemporary Art of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- The Spanish Institute, New York and Americas Society, New York; Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, Miami, Florida United States
- Small Scale, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1988
- The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United Status 1920-1970, Bronx Museum, New York, United States
- Summer Pleasures, Summer Treasures, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1995-1996
- Collector's Choice, Center for the Arts, Vero Beach, Florida, United States
1995
- Collector's Show, The Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
- The American Art Today: Night Paintings, Art Museum At Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States
- Pennart, Meyerson Hall Galleries, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
1994
- American Realism: Figurative Painting, Cline Fine Art Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States
- Collector's Exhibition, Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
- 46th Annual Academy Purchase Exhibition, American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, United States
- Naturaleza Muerta, Mary-Anne Martin Gallery, New York, United States
- Series and Editions, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1993-1994
- Storytelling: The Narrative in Latin American Art, Center of Contemporary Art, Miami, Florida, United States
1993
- Collector's Show, The Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
- Contemporary Public Art in the Bronx, Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, New York, United States
- 57th Annual Midyear Exhibition, The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, United States
- Still Life 1963-1993, United States
- 20 Years, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1992
- Collector's Show, The Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
- The Landscape in Twentieth Century Art: Selections from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Madison Art Center, Wisconsin; Traveling to Center for the Fine Arts, Miami; Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan; Greenville County Museum of Art, South Carolina; Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha; Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa; Tampa Museum of Art, Florida, United States
- An Ode to Gardens and Flowers, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, New York, United States
- Okun Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States
- Preview, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1991-1992
- Celebrating Nature, Champion International Corporation, Stamford, Connecticut, United States
1991
- Drawings, Charles Cowles Gallery, New York, United States
- The Awakening/El Despertar, The Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States
- Black and White, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1990-1991
- Winter Gold, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1990
- Tavelli Gallery, Aspen, Colorado, United States
- Collector's Exhibition, Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
- Drawings by Sculptors, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Signs of the Self: Changing Perceptions, Woodstock Artists Association, Woodstock, New York, United States
- Social Studies, Lintas: Worldwide, New York,United States
- 1987-1989
- The Eloquent Object, The Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
1989
- Recent Portraits, Tatistcheff Gallery, Santa Monica, California, United States
- Summer Pleasures: Water, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1988
- An Awareness of Place, Richard Green Gallery, New York, United States
- Contemporary American Drawings, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina United States
1987
- American Art Today: The Portrait, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States
- Collectors' Gallery XXI, Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas, United States
- Contemporary Still Life,
- DFS Dorland Worldwide, New York, United States
- Landscapes: Real and Imagined, Squibb Gallery, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
- Saatchi & Saatchi DFS Compton, New York, United States
- West Collection, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
1986
- Art for Your Collection, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
- DiLaurenti Gallery, New York, United States
- 50th Annual Midyear Show, Butler Art Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, United States
- Narrative Images, One Penn Plaza, New York, United States
- Objects Observed, Summit Art Center, Summit, New Jersey, United States
- Summer Group Show, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Works on Paper, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1985
- Anderson Fine Arts Center, Anderson, Indiana, United States
- Artists Choosing Artists, Artists' Choice Museum, New York, United States
- Major New Works, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Summer Pleasures, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Winter Solstice, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1984-1986
- New Narrative Paintings: Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museo Tamayo, Mexico; Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona, United States; Palazzo Ducale, Italy
1984-1985
- Whitney Museum of American Art of Philip Morris, New York, United States
1984
- American Art Now! Painting in the 80's, Columbus Museum of Arts and Sciences, Georgia, United States
- Aqui, University of Southern California, Los Ángeles, California, United States
- Collector's Gallery, Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas, United States
- A Feast for the Eyes, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States
- An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture Today, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States
- Major Works Old and New, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- New American Painting, A Tribute to James and Mari Michener, Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery, University of Texas, Austin, United States
- New Narrative Paintings: Selections from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale Museum, Florida, United States
- Past and Present Part I, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Pressures of the Hand: Expressionist Impulses in Recent American Art, Brainerd Art Gallery, Potsdam College of Arts and Science, Potsdam, New York, United States
- Rockefeller Retrospective, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, South Carolina, United States
- Summer Group Show, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Tenth Anniversary Exhibition, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden,
- Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, United States
- Via New York, Musee d'Art Contemporain, Montreal, Canada
1983
- Artists' Choice Museum, New York, United States
- Bonlow Gallery, New York, United States
- Contemporary Realism, One Penn Plaza, New York, United States
- Festival of the Arts, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania United States
- Habitats, Clocktower Gallery, New York, United States
- Images and Identities: Artists of Puerto Rican Heritage, Robeson Center Art Gallery, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey United States
- Invitational Exhibition, Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York, United States
- Major New Works, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Summer Group Show, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Ten Narrative Paintings, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States
1982
- The Americans: Collage 1950-1982, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas, United States
- Major New Works: Tenth Anniversary, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Hazlett Awards Exhibition, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, Pennsylvania United States
- Painting and Sculpture Today 1982, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana, United States
- Running '82, New York Road Runners Club, New York, United States
- 74th American Exhibition, The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Summer Group Show, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
- Works on Paper, Nancy Hoffman Gallery, New York, United States
1981-1983
- Map Art: Charts, Routes, Regions, Independent Curators, Inc., New York, United States
1981
- Rafael Ferrer, Ron Gorchov, Richard Hennessey, Hamilton Gallery, New York, United States
1980
- Brown University Invitational Exhibition, Albert A. List Museum, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
- Drawings, The Pluralist Decade, Institute of Contemporary Art of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Fabrications, Lowe Art Museum, Coral Gables, Florida, United States
- Plus 4: Auste, Rafael Ferrer, Grace Hartigan, Richard Hennessey,
- Hamilton Gallery, New York, United States
- Poets and Painters, Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado, United States
- Supershow, Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, New York, United States
- Urban Encounters: Art, Architecture, Audience, Institute of Contemporary Art of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Venice Biennial Exhibition, Venice, Italy
1979
- Dwellings, Institute of Contemporary Art of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Masks, Vessels, Tents, Talismans, Institute of Contemporary Art of the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
1978
- For Collectors, Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts, United States
- Paper, Dayton Art Institute, Ohio, United States
- Private Myths, The Queens Museum, Flushing, New York, United States
- Recent Works on Paper by Contemporary American Artists, Madison Art Center, Wisconsin, United States
- Viewpoint '77: Options in Painting, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States
1977
- Ancient Roots, New Visions, Organized by Fondo del Sol, Washington DC, United States
- Contemporary Latin American Artists, Melon Art Gallery, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Drawings of the 70's, 35th Exhibition, Society for Contemporary Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Drawings on Maps, Penthouse Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States
- 41st National Annual Midyear Show, Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, United States
- Group Sculpture Show, Brainerd Art Gallery, Potsdam College of Arts and Science, Potsdam, New York, United States
- Group Show from Nancy Hoffman Gallery, The Heistand Hall Art Gallery, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, United States
- Latin Excellence, Xerox Square Exhibit Center, Rochester, New York, United States
- Narrative Arts, Contemporary Art Museum, Houston, Texas, United States
- Skin,
- Dayton Art Institute, Ohio United States
- Soft Sculpture, The New Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
- A View of a Decade, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, United States
1976
- Biennial Exhibition, Lehigh University Art Galleries, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States
- Collector's Choice, The Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
- Hue and Far Cry of Color, Fort Wayne Art Institute, Indiana, United States
- Looking Inside: Latin American Presence in New York, New York Botanical Garden Museum, Bronx, New York, United States
- Latin American Artists, John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida, United States
1975
- Abstraction: Alive and Well, Brainerd Art Gallery, Potsdam College of Arts and Science, Potsdam, New York, United States
- New Acquisitions, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- North, East, West, South and Middle, Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Primitive Presence in the 70's, Vassar College Art Gallery, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States
- A Response to the Environment, Rutgers University Art Gallery, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
- Works on Paper, Weatherspoon Art Gallery, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
1974
- Alchemy of the Third Planet, Milwaukee Art Center, University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, United States
- Art Now '74, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington DC, United States
- Painting and Sculpture Today, 1974, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana, Estados Unidos; The Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
- Works on Paper, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, United States
- Biennial de Medellin, Medellín, Colombia
- Biennial of Contemporary American Painting and Sculpture, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, United States
- Depth and Presence, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, United States
- The Invisible Artist, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Six Sculptors, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, United States
1973
- The Invisible Artists, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- An Evening of Contemporary Art at the Bayly, Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia,United States
1971
- Depth and Presence, Corcoran Gallery, Washington DC, United States
1970
- Art in the Mind, Dudley Peter Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Ohio, United States
- Funf Kunstler, Museumverein, Wuppertal, West Germany, Germany
- Information, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States
- Monumental Art, The Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
- Sculpture Annual, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, United States
- Monumental Art, The Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
- Information, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States, New York, United States
1969
- Anti-Illusion/Procedures/Materials, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, United States
- Art in Process IV, Finch College Museum of Art,New York, United States
- 557 087, Seattle Art Museum, Washington DC, United States
- FRARMRRIREEROFIBSEATERLR (Robert Morris-Rafael Ferrer), Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
- Long Beach Island, Love ladies, New Jersey, United States
- 955 000, Vancouver Art Gallery, British Columbia, Canada
- Op Losse Shrven, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Holland
- When Attitudes Become Form, Kunsthalle, Berne, Switzerland
- Rafael Ferrer- Robert Morris, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
1968
- Between Object and Environment, Institute of Contemporary Art of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. United States
- Outdoor Sculpture, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
- Between object and Enviroment, Institute of Contemporary Art of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
1967
- Young Artists, Their Work, Martha Jackson Gallery, New York, United States
- Art in Latin America, Peale House Galleries, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
1961
- Ferrer- Villamil, Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Awards, Distinctions and Achievements
1998
- Grant. Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, New York, United States
1994
- Grant. Pew Foundation, United States
1989
- National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Washington DC, United States
1975
- Guggenheim Award. New York, United States
1978
- National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Washington DC, United States
1972
- National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Washington DC, United States
Collections
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- The Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
- Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, United States
- The Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland, United States
- Baxter Laboratories, Deerfield, Illinois, United States
- The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, United States
- Chase Manhattan Bank, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Chemical Bank, Midland, Michigan, United States
- Comdisco, Rosemont, Illinois, United States
- The Denver Art Museum, Colorado, United States
- Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana, United States
- Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Lehmbruck Museum, Duisberg, West Germany, Germany
- Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogotá, Colombia
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States
- Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Museo de la Princesa, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, United States
- The Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States
- New York State Facilities Corporation, New York, United States
- Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico
- Pasadena Museum, California, United States
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, New Jersey, United States
- Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
- Vassar College Art Gallery, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States
- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, United States
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, United States
Bibliography
Books
Hermandad de Artistas Gráficos de Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Arte e Identidad, Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1998.
Los tesoros de la pintura puertorriqueña. Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. San Juan, P.R. 2000.
Newspapers
Brenson, Michael. “Review/Art; David Salle and Rafael Ferrer: In Mainstream and Out”. The New York Times (New York, United States), March 18, 1988. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/18/arts/review-art-david-salle-and-rafael-ferrer-in-mainstream-and-out.html
Cotter, Holland. “Arriving Late to the Party, but Dancing on All the Clichés”. The New York Times (New York, United States), June 12, 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/13/arts/design/under-the-same-sun-art-from-latin-america-at-guggenheim.html
Lipson, Karin. “Belated Acclaim for an Artist With a Restless Sensibility”. The New York Times (New York, United States), December 16, 2011. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/nyregion/rafael-ferrers-work-is-finding-many-audiences.html
Schjeldahl, Peter. “The Audacity of Raphael Ferrer”. The New York Times (New York, United States), January 25, 1970, p.90. https://www.nytimes.com/1970/01/25/archives/the-audacity-of-raphael-ferrer.html
Smith, Roberta. “After Process, a Return to the Tropics”. The New York Times (New York, United States), June 10, 2010. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/arts/design/11ferrer.html
Wright, Karen. “Gilbert and George: Artists attempt to shock with a set of crude, expensive banners”. The Independent (United Kingdom), November 29, 2015. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/gilbert-and-george-artists-attempt-shock-set-crude-expensive-banners-a6753451.html
Magazines
“Shows: Rafael Ferrer, Nancy Hoffman Gallery”. ARTFORUM, May 1978, p.67. https://www.artforum.com/print/reviews/197805/rafael-ferrer-68385
“Shows: Rafael Ferrer, Whitney Museum of American Art”. ARTFORUM, March 1972, p.86. https://www.artforum.com/print/reviews/197203/rafael-ferrer-70347
Schwabsky, Barry. “Alex Katz’s Downtown Dreams”. The Nation (New York, United States), August 16, 2019. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/alex-katz-downtown-painting-peter-freeman-gavin-brown-review/
Web
http://www.rafaelferrerstudio.com/
Yau, John. “Rafael Ferrer’s Gift of Two Dried-Up Pineapples”. Hyperallergic (New York, United States), February 17, 2013. https://hyperallergic.com/65183/rafael-ferrers-gift-of-two-dried-up-pineapples/
Rafael Ferrer: Contributing artist of PRŌTOCOLLUM 2018/19. https://protocollum.org/