Wilfredo Chiesa
San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1952
Biography Details
Painter, graphic artist and professor. Chiesa studied at Escuela de Artes Plásticas of Puerto Rico, where he obtained his BFA with a major in Painting in 1972. At the end of the 1970s he moved to Massachusetts where, in 1977, he excels as Resident Artist at the Boston Center for the Arts. In 1979, he started to work as an Art Professor at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, a position he currently occupies. He has also taught at Wellesley College, as well as at Bennington College, and has been Guest Artist and juror at many other academic institutions. Additionally, he is part of the Commission for the Evaluation of Programs such as the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University and the Massachusetts College of Art. Chiesa belongs to the group of abstract painters from the 70’s in Puerto Rico. In his work he references music and poetry to develop a plastic vocabulary with abstract forms, full of vitality and energy. The application and treatment of color is a recurrent feature in his work, splitting the pictorial plane in geometric areas of color which are harmoniously integrated.
Artist Statement
A teenage fascination with art has become, for me, a vital commitment with painting. The deeply rooted traditions of the Latin American world and the futuristic vision of the society in which I live, are opposing forces that intrigue me and find expression in my work.
My paintings are created “the old-school way”', perhaps as a result of a rigorous - and somewhat incomplete - academic training. On the other hand, a vocabulary of abstract nature, and spatial relationships inherent to the modern experience, are elements of equal importance to my paintings.
Full of surprises, the act of painting destroys the attachments to the preconceived. Painting, has therefore offered me the amplitude of a renovating freedom of perception, so desirable in life.
Formation
Education
1971
- Bachelor of Fine Arts. Escuela de Artes Plásticas de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Professional Esperience
1979-present
- Professor. University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
2004
- Member, Review Board. Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
2000, 1996
- Professor. Art New England Summer Workshops, Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont, Estados Unidos
1997-2001
- Member, Public Art Commission. Cambridge Arts Council, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
1898-1993
- Member, Board of Directors. The Space Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1990
- Visual Arts Advisor. Dante Alighieri Society of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Member, Painting Review Board. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
- Panelist. Symposium, Latin America Awakens, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1988
- Guest Artist. Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
1987
- Professor. Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States
1986
- Panelist. Symposium 25 Años de Pintura Puertorriqueña, Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
- Member, Painting Review Board. Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1980
- Guest Artist. Montserrate College of Art, Beverly, Massachusetts, United States
- Member, Painting Advisory Board, Massachusetts Council for the Arts, Massachusetts, United States
1976-1977
- Instructor. Liga de Estudiantes de Arte, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1975
- Head, Painting Division. Centro Nacional de las Artes, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
2013
- Art Cabinet Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States
2011
- Jeffrey Leder Gallery, Long Island City, New York, United States
2008
- Stages Instead, Pierre Menard Gallery, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
2006
- Art Cabinet Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States
2006
- Biaggi Faure Fine Arts, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2005
- Lumina, Boston Center for the Art’s Cyclorama, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Galerie Swanstorm, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Art Cabinet Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States
2004
- Entre Estudio & Galería, Puebla, México
2002
- Arcos,Galería Tamara, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Arcos: Wilfredo Chiesa, Peter Findlay Gallery, New York, United States
2001
- Isole Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1998
- Peter Findlay Gallery, New York, United States
- Elite Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States
1997
- Andrea Marquit Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1995
- Elite Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States
1994
- Andrea Marquit Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1993
- Elite Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States
1992
- Andrea Marquit Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1991
- Galería Rojo y Negro, Madrid, Spain
- Wilfredo Chiesa, Galería Leonora Vega, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1990
- Andrea Marquit Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1988
- Galería Luiggi Marrozzini, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1986
- Galería Luiggi Marrozzini, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1985
- Galería Arteconsult, Panama City, Panama
- Ricardo Barreto Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1984
- Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogota, Colombia
1983
- University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1982
- Liga de Estudiantes de Arte, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Museo Rayo, Roldanillo, Colombia
1979
- Thorne’s Gallery, Northampton, Massachusetts, United States
1978
- Bell Book and Candle Gallery, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Cayman Gallery, New York, United States
1977
- La Casa del Libro, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Group Shows
2011
- 10th Anniversary, Obra Galería, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Art Cabinet, Sherburne Hall, Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States
2010
- Careos/Relevos, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Imagine it Thick in Your Own Hair, Pierre Menard Gallery, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
- Stoked on Spring, Milk Gallery, New York, United States
- Inaugural Exhibition, Jeffrey Leder Gallery, New York, United States
- Art Cabinet, Sherburne Hall, Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States
- Contemporary Art Auction, Heller Ehrman LLP Collection, San Francisco, California, United States
- La Mirada del Tiempo, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2009
- Art Chicago, Peter Findlay Gallery, New York, United States
- Aqua Art Fair, Pierre Menard Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States
2008
- Scope Miami, Space Other Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States
- Circa’08, Space Other Gallery, Centro de Convenciones de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2007
- Art Cabinet Nantucket Summer Salon, Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States
- Scope Miami, Space Other Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States
- Art Chicago, Peter Findlay Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, United States
2006
- Maestros de la Abstracción, Biaggi & Faure Fine Art, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2005
- Maestros de la Pintura Puertorriqueña, Obra Galería, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Latin American Painters, LatinArte Latino, Dallas, Texas, United States
2002
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Latin America on Paper, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Faculty Show, Harbor Art Gallery, University of Massachusetts, Boston, United States
2001
- IV Gran Subasta de Arte, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2000
- La Música de la Caja, Galería de Arte la Caja China, Seville, Spain
- Tesoros de la Pintura Puertorriqueña, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- A Walk through the Paper Forest: Latino Prints and Drawings from El Museo del Barrio, Albright – Knox Gallery, Buffalo, New York, United States
1997
- The Art of Diversity, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States
- Pequeño Formato, Museo de las Américas, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Portafolio de Dibujos, Galería Espacio, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1996
- Chiesa, Hernández Cruz, Irizarry, Suárez, Art Museum of the Americas Washington DC, United States; Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce; Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1995
- Espacio Cromático, Galería Espacio, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1994
- Latin American Spectrum, Elite Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States
1993
- Gallery Artists, Andrea Marquit Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Preferencia de Artistas, Chase Manhattan Bank, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Creaciones en Papel, Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1992
- Wilfredo Chiesa – Oscar Páez, Anita Shapolsky Gallery, New York, New York, United States
- Latin American Spectrum, Elite Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States
- El Portafolio Gráfico en Puerto Rico, Museo de las América, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1990
- Latin American Spectrum, Elite Gallery, Miami, Florida, United States
- Latin Art ’90, Anita Shapolsky Gallery, New York, United States
- The Reductive Image, Andrea Marquit Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1989
- Norwegian International Print Triennial, Fredrikstad, Norway
- Above, Beyond and Within, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1988
- Istituto por la Cultura e l’Arte, Catania, Sicily, Italy
- The Space Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Abstract Visions, Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art, New York, United States
1986
- Puerto Rican Painting: Between Past and Present, Museum of Modern Art of Latin America, Washington DC; Squibb Gallery, Princeton, New Jersey, United States; Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- International Biennial of Graphic Art, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia
- First International Painting Biennial, Cuenca, Ecuador
1985
- International Print Biennial, Fredrikstad, Norway
- Bienal de Pintura, Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- 25 Años de Pintura Puertorriqueña, Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico; Museo del Barrio, New York, United States
- AARON Gallery, Washington DC, United States
- El Cartel Abstracto en Puerto Rico, Biblioteca José M. Lázaro, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1984
- Latin American Art, The St. Paul Insurance Company, Minnesota, United States
1983
- Objetos, La Caixa, Ibiza, Spain
- Congreso de Artistas Abstractos, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- IV Bienal de Música Contemporánea, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1982
- Arte Actual, The Chase Manhattan Bank, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Water, The Massachusetts Banking Fine Arts Collection, Bank of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Encuentros, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Landscapes Reinterpreted, Bank of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Art Across the Park, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York, United States
1981
- Paper Assemblages, Sutton Gallery, New York, United States
- IV Bienal de Arte, Medellín, Colombia
- Henry Street Settlement, New York, United States
- One of Each, Sutton Gallery, New York, United States
1980
- The Islands Project, The Children’s Museum, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Faculty Show, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1979
- IV Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano y el Caribe, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Gallery Artists, Sunne Savage Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Faculty Show, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1978
- Center for Inter-American Relations, New York, United States
- Artist Books, Boston Visual Artists Union, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1977
- Sao Paulo Biennial, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- UNESCO, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1976
- Xerox Corporation, Rochester, New York, United States
1974
- III Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano y del Caribe, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico o
1973
- Reyes, Chiesa, Bonilla, Museo de Bellas Artes, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1971
- Seis Artistas Jóvenes, Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Awards, Distinctions and Achievements
2004
- Residence. Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1982
- Residence. The Artist Foundation, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1981
- Fellowship. The McDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States
1977
- Residence. Massachusetts Council of the Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1976
- Grant. Fondo de Becas para las Artes Plásticas, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1975
- Grant. Fundación Martínez Cañas, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- First Honorary Mention. II Salón de Pintura de la UNESCO, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1974
- First Prize of Print. United Federal Savings, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1973
- Honorary Prize of Print. Ateneo Puertorriqueño, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- First Prize. 450th Anniversary of San Juan, Casa de España, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Collections
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Lowe Museum of Art, Miami, Florida, United States
- University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- The Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- The New York Public Library, New York, United States
- Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
- The Library of Congress, Washington DC, United States
- Museo del Barrio
- New York, United States
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States
- Museo de Arte Moderno, Bogota, Colombia
- Museo Rayo, Roldanillo, Colombia
- Museo Vial, Roldanillo, Colombia
- Museo de Arte de Medellín, Medellín, Colombia
- Museo de Arte Moderno, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
- Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris, Paris, France
- International Print Museum, Fredrikstad, Norway
- Istituto per la Cultura e l’Arte, Catania, Sicily, Italy
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico
- La Casa del Libro, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Law School, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bibliography
Catalogues
“Arcos: Recent Paintings by Wilfredo Chiesa.” Peter Findlay Gallery, Nueva York, Estados Unidos, 1998.
“IV Gran Subasta de Arte Puertorriqueña.” Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico,, 7 de junio de 2001.
“Quinta Gran Subasta.” Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 6 de junio de 2002.
“Wilfredo Chiesa.” Galería Leonora Vega, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 5 de abril de 1991.
“”Wilfredo Chiesa: Arcos.” Galería Tamara, San Juan, Puerto Rico, febrero-marzo de 2002.
“”Wilfredo Chiesa, Marcos Irizarry, Luis Hernández Cruz, Julio Suárez.” Museo de Arte Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico/ Art Museum of the Americas, Washington D.C., Estados Unidos, junio-julio 1996.
Books
Chiesa, Wilfredo. Visión Aparente. Boston: Nine Intaglio Prints, 1988.
Chiesa, Wilfredo. Tango: Seven Silkscreen Prints with Poems by Anthony Petrosky. Boston, 1982.
Chiesa, Wilfredo. Relatos de un Paisaje Asesinado: Twelve Silkscreen Prints with Poems by Tomás López Ramírez and music byRafael Aponte Ledée. San Juan, 1976.
Pérez Lizano, Manuel. “Arte Contemporáneo en Puerto Rico 1950-1983. Cerámica, Escultura, Pintura.”
Universidad Central de Bayamón: Ediciones Cruz Anzata, 1985, p.318.
Newspapers
“Wilfredo Chiesa.” El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 24 de febrero de 2002, p. 3.