Marta Pérez
Caimito, PR 1934 - San Juan, PR, 2004
Biography Details
Painter and teacher. In 1955, Pérez earned her bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame College in Maryland, which then awarded her a fellowship to study in Rome for a year. In 1977, she studied with Larry Gluck in Hollywood. She gave art classes in the Veterans Administration and at the University of Puerto Rico and was also director of art for the Caribbean Consolidated Schools. For some time she collaborated with master ceramicist Hal Lasky at the renowned Puerto Rican Pottery works. From the eighties to the end of her life, she dedicated herself completely to her painting in her studio in Old San Juan. The exoticism and diversity of allegorical references in some of her paintings reflect her own multicultural roots, as she was descended from Basque, Jewish, Greek, and Irish forebears. Exuberant colors, an agglomeration of elements, and female figures with mythical and angelic appearances are characteristic of her work.
Artist Statement
"My work is celebratory and at the same time judgmental. I want my paintings as well as my furniture and artifacts bring us closer to laughter and peace. I believe in women and in men. I believe in Earth. I believe in art. I believe in the Carnival. Is all about making poetry".
Source: “Marta Pérez: Hechicera “at large”. El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 22 de julio de 2001, p. 73.
Formation
Education
1977
- Oil painting and drawing courses with Larry Gluck. Mission Renaissance, Los Angeles, California, United States
1955
- Bachelor of Arts and Philosophy. Notre Dame College, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Professional Experience
- Art Director. Caribbean Consolidated Schools, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Art Instructor. Veterans Administration, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Art Instructor. Universidad de Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Collaborator with master ceramicist Hal Lasky. Puerto Rican Pottery ceramics workshop, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Member. Asociación de Mujeres Pintoras de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Exhibitions
Solo Shows
2009
- Desde el Recuerdo, Galería Petrus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2003
- Fabulas, Galería Petrus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1999
- Una Historia Inventada, parte III, Petrus Galeros, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1994
- Celebraciones, Galería Botello, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1992
- Arte Sacro Actual, Gormley Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
1987
- Manufacturers Association, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Marta Pérez: Una Historia Inventada, Convento de los Dominicos, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Galería Eugenio, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1980
- Galería Eugenio, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Group Shows
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
1998
- 100 Años después… 100 Artistas Contemporáneos, Presencia Americana en la Isla, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1997
- Important Latin American Paintings, Sculptures and Colonial Works of Art, Christie’s, New York, United States
1995
- V Bienal Internacional Salvador Valero, Universidad de Los Andes, Gobernación de Estado Trujillo, Venezuela
1993
- Pequeño Formato, Galeria Luigi Marozzini, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1992
- Homenaje a Ferrer, Homar Sánchez, Bonilla y Marta Pérez, Museo La Princesa, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- La tercera raíz, presencia africana en Puerto Rico, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- IV Bienal Internacional de Poesía Visual, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
- Un Nouveau Regard Sur Les Caraibes, Paris, France; Guadalupe; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Trinidad; Jamaica; Martinica
1986
- Segunda Bienal de La Habana, Havana, Cuba
1985
- Ateneo Puertorriqueño, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1982
- Obra única sobre papel, Antiguo Arsenal de la Marina Española, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1984
- Museo de Arte e Historia de San Juan, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1983
- II Bienal del Grabado, Museo Wilfredo Lam, Havana, Cuba
- Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States
- Rutgers University, New Jersey, United States
- Cayman Gallery, New York, United States
- Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Awards, Distinctions and Achievements
1985
- Second Prize. Salon Yaucano, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1983
- Honorable Mention. VIII Salón de Pintura UNESCO, San Juan, Puerto Rico
1955
- Prize. Stein Butler Arts and Crafts, United States
Collections
- Café Yaucano, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Cooperativa de Seguros Múltiples de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- University of Mississippi Museum, Mississippi, United States
Bibliography
Catalogues
Fábulas, Galería Petrus, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2003.
Una historia inventada, Petrus Galeros, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1999.
Newspapers
Rodríguez, Jorge. “Impactante muestra de plástica”. El Vocero (San Juan, PR), 9 de septiembre de 2003, p.E28.
The San Juan Star (San Juan, PR), 12 de mayo de 2001.
Morales Branes, Sandra. “Del fuego al arte ‘brut’”. El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 8 de julio de 2001, pp. 72-73.
Delgado Esquilín, Gloribel. “Marta Pérez…con los ojos del Paraiso”. El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 21 de julio de 2001.
“Marta Pérez: Hechicera “at large”. El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 22 de julio de 2001, p. 73.
García Gutiérrez, Enrique. “La paradoja de Marta Pérez”. El Nuevo Día, Revista Domingo (San Juan, PR), 29 de agosto de 1999.
Alegre Barrios, Mario. “Mimetismo mágico y exuberante”. El Nuevo Día (San Juan, PR), 29 de agosto de 1993.