Antonio Maldonado
Manatí, PR, 1920 - San Juan, PR, 2006
Biography Details
Painter, draftsman, watercolorist, and printmaker. Maldonado is one of the most prominent member of the “Fifties Generation” of Puerto Rican artists. He began studying drawing and painting under Magdalena López de Victoria, then in San Juan joined Juan Rosado’s sign-painting studio and later studied painting under Cristóbal Ruiz, Alejandro Sánchez Felipe, and Gretchen Wood. At the sign-painting shop, he became friends with Rafael Tufiño, a friendship that lasted until the end of Maldonado’s life. From 1947 to 1950 he studied drawing, oil painting, and mural technique at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas (Academia de San Carlos) in Mexico City. In 1950 he co-founded the Center for Puerto Rican Art, and in 1957 he joined the Graphic Arts Workshop at DIVEDCO, which he headed from 1963 until his retirement in 1987. He founded the Achiote Studio with Luis Alonso and Francisco Luciano, and was actively involved in the creation of the San Sebastián Street Festival in Old San Juan in the seventies. His work is representational, depicting various aspects of Puerto Rican popular culture with images filled with intensity and drama. He was always passionate about the island’s countryside, which he captured frequently in his watercolors.
Artist Statement
“Since his beginnings painting, Antonio Maldonado has standout for his firm commitment to Puerto Rican culture manifested through multiple techniques, including silkscreen, engraving, oil paintings and scenography. Antonio Maldonado’s works portray the humble Puerto Rican, hardworking and knowledgeable, in love with his land.”
Source: Espacio Abierto, El Nuevo Día newspaper, June 4, 2000, p. 3.
Formation
Educación
1947-1950
- Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas de Mexico, Mexico
Sf.
- Painting courses with Cristóbal Ruiz y Alejandro Sánchez Felipe. San Juan, Puerto Rico
Experiencia Profesional
1963-1987
- Printmaking Workshop, División de Educación de la Comunidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1957-1987
- Graphic Artist. División de Educación de la Comunidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1944-1946
- Soldier. Armed Forces of the United States
1936
- Signs Painter. Juan A. Rosado Workshop, Puerta de Tierra, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
1994
- Galeria Coabey, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1982
- Centro Cultural de Manati, Manati, Puerto Rico
1971
- Colegio de Ingenieros de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1941
- Ateneo Puertorriqueño, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1962
- Ateneo Puertorriqueño, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Colectivas
2013
- Interconexiones: Lecturas Curatoriales de la Colección del MAPR, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2007
- Contexto puertorriqueño: del rococó colonial al arte global, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1992
- 45 años de expresión gráfica puertorriqueña, Pabellón de Puerto Rico en Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
1987
- La estampa serigráfica en Puerto Rico, Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1985
- El cartel en Puerto Rico, Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1977
- Muestra de pintura y escultura puertorriqueña, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- 25 Años de gráfica puertorriqueña, Chase Manhattan Bank, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1973
- La herencia artística de Puerto Rico; época precolombina al presente, Museo del Barrio, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States
1963
- Grabados puertorriqueña, Galería Colibrí, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1962
- Dos siglos de pintura puertorriqueña, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1956
- Colectiva de arte puertorriqueño, Community Art Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Awards, Distinctions and Achievements
1971
- His poster for the Community Education Division, Christmas Program, was selected and published as a Christmas card in six languages by UNICEF
1986-1988
- Antonio Maldonado, Rafael Tufiño and Luis Alonso designed the posters for the World Chess Olympiad held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and in Thessaloniki, Greece. The artists were invited by these countries to the events.
Collections
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Cooperativa de Seguros Múltiples de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Historia, Antropología y Arte, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, Puerto Rico
- Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Bibliography
Books
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.