Centenaries

Rafael Tufiño (Puerto Rico, 1922-2008), Vita Cola, 1961, oil on canvas, Museo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.

July 13, 2023 – April 13, 2025

The decade of the 1950s witnessed one of the most prolific periods in the history of Puerto Rican art. The confluence of catalytic events such as government support for the arts, the convergence of a group of like-minded artists, some educated abroad and exposed to the international avant-garde, and the presence of exiled Spanish artists on the island, promoted the production of the so-called Generación del 50. Connected by an established artistic tradition and a unity of purpose that did not prescribe the development of their interests, these artists introduced new themes and styles to Puerto Rican painting that are demonstrated in this selection of works created between 1953 and 1964 that are part of the collection of the Museo de Arte de Ponce. 

With Centenaries, the Museum celebrates ten luminaries of Puerto Rican art whose centennials are commemorated between 2020, the year in which its galleries temporarily closed, and 2024. The majority of these works were acquired during the first five years of the institution’s life, between 1959 and 1964, before the Museum was permanently transferred to its present location. The Puerto Rican art collection grew exponentially during this initial period, offering the public a representative sample of the production of contemporary local artists within the context of Western art, in one of the first spaces dedicated to the permanent exhibition of Puerto Rican painting on the island.

This exhibition is made possible by a grant from the Comisión Especial Conjunta sobre Fondos Legislativos para Impacto Comunitario and the funds provided by the United States Department of the Treasury, “American Rescue Plan,” “State and Local Recovery Funds,” through AAFAF, Coronavirus State and Local Recovery Funds (CSFRF).

Location: Building Annex of the Museo de Arte de Ponce