Carlos Irizarry

Painter and engraver Carlos Irizarry was born in Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, in 1938. He studied at the School of Art & Design in New York City. After his training in New York, he returned to the island in 1966, where he contributed to the flourishing graphic arts movement at the time. His style then was influenced by abstract expressionism. At the first Bienal de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano y del Caribe, celebrated in 1970, his work received honorable mention from a panel of international judges. In 1972, he was awarded first prize at the International Exhibition of the Protest Print in Vienna and was honored by "Sin Nombre" magazine in 1975. He was a teacher at Liga de Estudiantes de Arte, and co-founder and director of Centro Nacional de Las Artes en San Juan, PR.During the early 80's, he began to explore the concept of art as political movement.

He has also participated in collective shows at the Tibor De Nagy Gallery, NY, Hundred Acres Gallery, NY, Associated American Artists, NY, Harry N. Abrams Gallery, NY, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, the Museum of Modern Art, NY, and in Colombia, Brazil, Cuba and Yugoslavia. 

His work has been featured in numerous individual exhibitions in galleries and museums in New York, including the Allan Rich Galleries and Museo del Barrio, and San Juan, such as Galeria 63, San Juan Museum of Art, Ponce Museum of Art, and Museum of Fine Arts.

Carlos Irizarry left a huge legacy in art and culture. He died on June 2017 after a long battle with cancer. El Nuevo Día published this article (spanish) after his death.