Label Type
DidacticLabel
Theo Wujcik (1936–2014)
Jean and Tom Valenti, 1990
acrylic and newspaper collage on canvas
41.5 x 61.5 in.
Gift of Susan Johnson, 2025.5.2
Theo Wujcik was a Detroit-born artist and master printer known for his innovative techniques. He moved to Tampa in 1970 to become director of Graphicstudio at the University of South Florida, where he then taught from 1972 to 2003. In the late 1970s, Wujcik shifted from printmaking to painting and mixed media, drawing inspiration from clubs and found materials in Ybor City, where he maintained his studio. He explored sociopolitical themes through layered, collage-like works, often incorporating a signature chain-link fence motif—a metaphor for exclusion, protection, and memory. Well known for his work in portraiture, this painting features philanthropists Jean and Tom Valenti, known for their support of the arts in the Tampa Bay region. Widely collected and exhibited, Wujcik remained a vital force in the Tampa Bay art scene until his death in 2014.
This work of art is a part of the HCC Permanent Art Collection. Through its Campus Loan Outreach Program, HCC Art Galleries seek to share original works by collecting a diversity of art for the education and enjoyment of the HCC Community.