René Santos
Arecibo, PR, 1954- New York, USA 1986
Biography Details
Painter, photographer and graphic designer. Obtained his bachelor’s degree from Tufts University in 1973 and earned a master’s degree from Hunter College in 1976. At Hunter he met and studied with Rosalind Krauss. During his short life, he had four solo exhibitions and participated in several group shows; also, his work was included in several exhibitions organized after his death in 1986, such as a retrospective in 1994 at the Grey Gallery and Study Center at New York University. Among his influences were the pictorial work of Manet and Velázquez, the philosophy of Heidegger and the literature of Marcel Proust. Santos was associated with the camp aesthetic, in which style prevails over content and which is also associated with the queer culture. In 1980, he exhibited in New York a series of photo-novels based on the opera, B-films, and pulp fiction, satirizing popular taste and sensibility. His series of paintings portraying purebred dogs, done in the Romantic style in the early eighties, illustrates his critique of the rejection of styles of the past by his contemporaries, who categorized him as a reactionary.
Artist Statement
“I was overtaken by fear that day when I realized that those intense feelings had a grammatical structure… And I with my illusions to be a painter. Yes, a painter. After all, that effervescence of visual images that simmered away in my mind were proclaiming me without alternative as a painter […]. I don’t know, it never occurred to me that a painter always has (at least, should always have) a visual way of thinking. Now I realize that those painters from my group were not stupid, it’s that they didn’t have a language.”
“Escritos de mi hijo René Santos 1972-1986”, inedit mauscript compiled by Cuca Santos.
Formation
Education
1976
- Master’s Degree of Art. Hunter College, New York, United States
1973
- Bachelor’s Degree. Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
2013
- René Santos: El grado cero de la imagen, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1995
- Suspension of the Law, René Santos Retrospective, Museo de las Américas, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1994
- Suspension of the Law, Rene Santos Retrospective, Grey Art Gallery & Study Center, New York University, New York, United States
1986
- New Paintings, Diane Brown Gallery, New York, United States
1985
- Dog Show, Grey Art Gallery & Study Center, New York University, New York, United States
- Real/Reel, Joseph Gross Gallery, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, United States
Group Shows
2012
- Trienal Poli/Gráfica de San Juan, América Latina y el Caribe, El Panal/The Hive, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2008
- Red, Whites & Blue, Visual AIDS Web Gallery
2007
- Contexto puertorriqueño: del rococó colonial al arte global, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2006
- Do You Remember The First Time?, Visual AIDS Web Gallery
2004
- La otra ventana: cincuenta años de la televisión en Puerto Rico, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2001
- I Smell Sex, Visual AIDS Web Gallery
1995
- Temporarily Possessed, The New Museum, New York, United States
1994
- L’Hiver de L’Amour, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France
1992
- Hollywood, Hollywood: Identity Under de Guise of Celebrity, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California, United States
1986
- Aperto,Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
- Acceptable Entertainment, Bruno Fachetti Gallery, New York, United States
1985
- The Art of Memory, The Loss of History, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Nueva York, Estados Unidos
- Four Legs Good, Gallery at the Harborfront, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- TV Pictures, New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, United States
- Opposing Force, Hallwalls, Buffalo, New York, United States
1984
- Drawings: After Photography,Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio; Mitchell Museum, Mount Vernon, Illinois; Aspen Center for the Visual Arts, Aspen, Colorado; Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin; Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, California, United States
1983
- Painting Invitational, Concord Gallery, New York, United States
1982
- Paper, Semaphore Gallery, New York, United States
- Face It: 10 Contemporary Artists,Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio; College of Wooster Art Museum, Wooster, Ohio; New Gallery of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, Ohio; Trisolini Gallery, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States
1981
- New Voice 2: Six Photographers, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, United States
1976
- Festival de Arte Oller, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Salón de Arte Joven, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Collections
- The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, United States
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bibliography
Catalogues
Benítez, Marimar. "Rene Santos, Suspension of the Law”. Museo de las Americas, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1994
Bleys, Rudi C. “lmages of Ambiente: Homotextuality and Latin American Art 1810 – today”, Continuum, (London and New York), 2000, pp.187-8
Boyle, William. “Tour Legs Good: The Dog Show”. The Art Gallery at Harbourfront, Toronto, Canada, 1985.
“Drawings: After Photography”, lndependent Curators Incorporated, Nueva York, Estados Unidos, 1984.
Fehlau, Fred. “Hollywood, Hollywood: ldentity under the Guise of Celebrity”. Pasadena Art Alliance, Pasadena, California, Estados Unidos, 1992.
Olander, William. “Face lt: 10 Contemporary Artists”. Press of The Times, Oberlin, 1982.
Olander, William. “New Voices 2: Six Photographers; Concept/Theater/Fiction”.1982.
Olander, William. “The Art of Memory/The Loss of History”. New York: The New York Museum of Art, 1985. p. 16.
Olander, William. "TV Picture: Diana Formisano, John Glascock, René Santos”. On View, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, Nueva York, Estados Unidos, Abril-June, 1985.
Pirovano, Cario. “XLII Esposizione lnternazionale D' Arte La Biennale di Venecia”, Electro Editrice, 1986, p. 375.
Purcell, Marilú, curator. Contexto puertorriqueño: del rococó colonial al arte global. Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2007, pp. 192, 291.
Reichard, Stephen and Livet, Anne. Art Against AIDS”. Village Craftsmen, lnc, Nueva Jersey, Estados Unidos, 1987, p. 62.
Sokolowski, Thomas, curator. Suspension of the Law: A Retrospective. Grey Art Gallery, Nueva York, Estados Unidos, 1994.
Goldfarb, Brian and Mimi Young. “Temporarily Possessed: The Semi Permanent Collection”. Pennsylvania: Becotte and Gershwin, 1995. p.89.
Newspapers
Álvarez Lezama, Manuel. "lnfiniteness of Life." The San Juan Star (San Juan, PR), 5 de noviembre de 1995, pp. 16-170.
Borras, Gloria. "Exportan obras locales a museos europeos mediante UNESCO PR". El Mundo (San Juan, PR), 18 de enero de 1976, p. 4-B.
Brenson, Michael. "Art: Biggest Biennale, the 42d, Opens in Venice." New York Times (Nueva York, EEUU), 1 de julio de 1986, p. C1.
Brenson, Michael. "In Venice, the Biennale Sinks into a Sea of Ambiguity”. New York Times (Nueva York, EEUU), 13 de julio de 1986, p. 42.
El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 19 de agosto de 1976, p. 40.
Gore, Philip. "College's 'Face-lt' Show Blasts lmage-Building." Daily Record, 13 de noviembre de 1982, p.23.
Grundberg, Andy. "(New) Wave at the Camera?". Soho News, 19 de noviembre de 1990.
Hoberman, J. "Prime". Village Voice (Nueva York, EEUU), 4 de junio de 1985.
Indiana, Gary. "Memories Are Made of This". Village Voice (Nueva York, EEUU), 10 de diciembre de 1985, p. 93.
Lezama, Juan Ramón. "Artists Show Around Town". The San Juan Star (San Juan, PR), 23 de febrero de 1995, p. 73.
Lifson, Ben. "Shots in the Dark". Village Voice (Nueva York, EEUU), 19 de noviembre de 1980, p. 96.
Molina, Antonio J. "Festival Honra a Francisco Oller", El Mundo (San Juan, PR), s.f.
Nather, Dan. "Faces Provide Emotional, Artistic Outlets". Athens News Writer, 1982.
"Pintores del patio llegan al Barrio”. El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 26 de enero de 1988, p. 19.
Reyes Angleró, Mariana. "Hacia una nueva lectura del arte boricua." El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 4 de febrero de 2007.
Sarris, Andrew and Allen, Tom. "TV Picture", Villaqe Voice (Nueva York, EEUU), 14 de junio de 1985, p. 42.
Schjeldahl, Peter. "Materialized Love", Village Voice (Nueva York, EEUU), 20 de diciembre de 1994, p. 81.
Smith, Joan. "Aids and the Artists: How a Scourge Has lnspired and Devastated a Collective Conscience", San Francisco Examiner (California), 23 de agosto de 1992.
Magazines
Cameron, Dan. "A New Generation of Chicago Artists." Art News, Octubre 1984, pp. 110-116.
Corrigan, Phillip. "1 Did Hear Bark, or, Was 1 Just lmagining (for James Thurber)." C. Winter, 1985, pp.12-18
Falcon, Sylvia. Review. Arts Magazine. Septiembre,1983.
Fitzgerald, Kip. "Gallery", Gay Life. 30 de junio de 1986, p. 17.
Grundberg, Andy. "Looking at Television". Acceptable Entertainment, lndependent Curators lncorporated, Nueva York, Estados Unidos, 1988.
Hixson, Dathryn. "Chicago", Rev. of René Santos at Feature Gallery”. Artforum Abril, 1986, pp. 115-116.
Kravitz, Lee. "Ordinary People". Northern Ohio Live, Noviembre, 1981, p. 13.
Lichtenstein, Therese. “Review”. Arts Magazine, Marzo, 1985, p. 38.
Lurie, David. "The Art of Memory 1 The Loss of History". Arts. Febrero, 1986, p. 127.
Mahoney, Robert. “René Santos at Diane Brown Gallery”. Arts, Abril, 1986, p. 137.
"New York Hot Shot". Photo Japan, Septiembre de 1985, pp. 16-17.
“The Art of Memory 1 The Loss of History". Art Forum, Marzo 1986, pp. 120.
Rothkopf, Scout. "Other Voices: Tour Critical Vignettes". ArtForum, marzo, 2003, p. 48.
Vazquez, Ralph. "Rene Santos, genio del camp 'top-heavy’", Art Premium, Enero-Febrero, 2006, pp. 25-28.
Venegas, Haydee. "El egregio verano de 2005". Artes, julio-septiembre, 2005, pp. 86-95.
Schoenfeld, Ann. "Paper". Arts Magazine, Octubre, 1982.
Web
Aranda Alvarado, Rocío. "Curator's Statement." Visual Aids Web Gallerv. Nov. 2006. 23 de juno de 2008. http://www.thebody.com/visualaids/web
gallerv/2006/alvarado/Statement.html
Collins, Glenn. "III Artists' Effort to lnsure that Art Survives AIDS." New York Times on the web. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?
res=9EOCE7D8133FF934A1 5751e 1 A964958
Deitcher, David. "Feature lnc. - Critica! Essay" ArtForum. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_7_41/ai_98918642/print
DeGenevieve, Barbara. "Curator's Statement", Visual Aids Web Gallery. http://www.thebody.com/visualaids/web_gallery1degenevieve/statement.html
Visual Aids Web Gallery: Hot Chicks and Others. http://www.thebody.com/visualaids/web_gallery/2006/alvarado/04.html