Olga Albizu
Ponce, PR, 1924 - New York, USA, 2005
Ponce, PR, 1924 - New York, USA, 2005
Painter. Albizu studied drawing under Miguel Pou and painting at the University of Puerto Rico under Spanish painter Esteban Vicente. In 1948 she was awarded a scholarship by the University of Puerto Rico to study in New York under German painter Hans Hofmann. Albizu also studied under Morris Kantor, Carl Holty, and Vaclav Vytlacil at the Art Students League in New York. Albizu attended the legendary Parisian art school Académie de la Grande Chaumière in 1951, and in 1952 attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. In 1956 Albizu’s paintings began to be used for record-jackets for bossa nova albums produced by RCA and Verve Records. In 1958 she settled in New York City and her first solo exhibition was organized in Puerto Rico. She stopped painting in 1984. Albizu is the pioneer of Abstract Expressionism in Puerto Rican art, and her work has been described as lyrical.
“To certain extent, I believe in art for art’s sake. I believe in eternal art and eternal values, in Botticelli and Kandinsky, in the will to live. I really don’t think an artist at this moment in time has to give a political or social interpretation to his work”.
Olga Albizu, 1969
Source: Friedman, Robert, City Side, El San Juan Star, 25 de noviembre, 1969.
1952
1951-1952
1949-1951
1948-1949
1946
1945-1947
1943
2005
2004
1999
1998
1971
1969
1966
1961
1959, 1960
1957, 1958, 1961,1964
2019
2017
2015-16
2013-14
2012-19
2007
2006
2005
2004
2004
2001
1988
1985
1978-79
1973
1967
1966
1965
1964
1963
1962
1960
1958
1957
1956
1957-1958
1956
1997
1967
1964
1948
Hermandad de Artistas Gráficos de Puerto Rico. "Puerto Rico Arte e Identidad". San Juan, P.R.: Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, 1998.
"Los tesoros de la pintura puertorriqueña". Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. San Juan, P.R. 2000.
MAPFRE. “Cultura y ambiente: el Puerto Rico de hoy”, Terranova Editores, Cuartel de Ballajá, San Juan. https://www.mapfre.pr/seguros-pr/images/cultura-y-ambiente_tcm1084-172224.pdf
Exhibition Catalogue. “Bridge Between Islands: Retrospective Works by Six Puerto Rican Artists in New York”, 1978-79. https://www.elmuseo.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/1978-1979_emdb_exh-cat_bridge-between-islands.pdf