Name/Title
Painting by Jose Antonio VelasquezContext
A self-taught painter born in Honduras in 1906, Jose Antonio Velasquez first gained recognition when he exhibited in 1940 and 1941 at an exhibit in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. His works received further plaudits in Cuba and Guatemala and at the Pan American Union, where he represented Guatemala in 1954. In addition, his paintings were shown at the 1964 New York World's Fair, the World's Fair in Bonn, Germany, in 1965, and in countries around the world, including Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Nicaragua, France, Italy, China, Japan, and The Soviet Union.
Velasquez is considered to be Honduras' greatest artist. As a young man, he trained as a telegrapher but eventually left to take up the barbering trade (the subject of the 1953 painting owned by Louis Bromfield). As a telegrapher, Velasquez had taken a job in San Antonio de Oriente, a small town thirty kilometers outside of Tegucigalpa. As a result, San Antonio de Oriente became the inspiration for most of his work.
Jose Antonio Velasquez died in 1983. That year there was a "posthumous tribute" exhibition of his work presented by the Organization of American States at the Museum of Modern Art of Latin America in Washington D.C.
- Research and text by Thomas Bachelder of the Malabar Farm FoundationLocation
Building
The Big HouseOhio State Park
Malabar Farm State Park
