Tomás Batista (born December 7, 1935) is a Puerto Rican sculptor. He is the creator of some of Puerto Rico's most notable monuments.

Early years

Batista (birth name: Tomás Batista Encarnación) was born and raised in

Luquillo, Puerto Rico Luquillo () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northeast coast, northwest of Fajardo; and east of Rio Grande. Luquillo is spread over 5 barrios and Luquillo Pueblo (the downtown area and the administrative center of the ci ...

, a town located in the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico. His family was poor, but he did well in school and finished high school. His family recognized that their son had talent as an artist at a young age. After graduating from high school, he moved to San Juan to continue his education. There he met and went to work with the Spanish artist, Ángel Botello. In 1955, while working with Botello, Batista discovered that he had a natural talent to work with the restoration process in wood. He learned from Botello the secrets of restoration and how to work with gold on wood. In 1957, he realized his first work of art, the ''

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...

''. Tomas Batista In 1958, Batista was awarded a grant and studied sculpting at the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture under the direction of the Maestro Compostela. Batista also studied art in La Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes La Esmeralda in Mexico City, Mexico on a Guggenheim fellowship in 1960 and in the Instituto de Cultura Hispánica in Spain. In 1966, he was named director of the Department of Sculpture and Restoration of the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture. In 1972, Batista spent a year in Spain, where he created the busts of

Eugenio María de Hostos Eugenio María de Hostos (January 11, 1839 – August 11, 1903), known as "''El Gran Ciudadano de las Américas''" ("The Great Citizen of the Americas"), was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist, novelist, an ...

and

Ramón Emeterio Betances Ramón Emeterio Betances y Alacán (April 8, 1827 – September 16, 1898) was a Puerto Rican independence advocate and medical doctor. He was the primary instigator of the Grito de Lares revolution and is considered to be the father of the Pu ...

Sculptures

He created is

Monumento al Jíbaro Puertorriqueño The Monumento al Jíbaro Puertorriqueño (Monument to the Puerto Rican Countryman) is a monument built by the Government of Puerto Rico to honor the Puerto Rican Jíbaro, located on Puerto Rico Highway 52, km 49.0, Barrio Lapa, Salinas, Puerto R ...

(Monument to the Common Puerto Rican Countryman) in

Cayey Cayey (), officially Cayey de Muesas, is a mountain town and municipality in central Puerto Rico located on the Sierra de Cayey within the Central Mountain range, north of Salinas and Guayama; south of Cidra and Caguas; east of Aibonito and Sal ...

. In this monument Batista reflects the humbleness and hard working nature of the typical Puerto Rican farmer and his family. The monument is located by the Luis A. Ferré Highway in Cayey. Among Batista's other works are the sculptures of

Julia de Burgos Julia de Burgos García (February 17, 1914 – July 6, 1953) was a Puerto Rican poet. As an advocate of Puerto Rican independence, she served as Secretary General of the Daughters of Freedom, the women's branch of the Puerto Rican Nationa ...

in Carolina, Hayuya in

Jayuya Jayuya (, ) is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the mountainous center region of the island, north of Ponce; east of Utuado; and west of Ciales. Jayuya is spread over 10 barrios and Jayuya Pueblo (the downtown and administra ...

, and Rafael Hernández in Bayamón. In 1993, he unveiled the monument of the Cacique Loguillo which is located in his hometown.

Awards and recognition

He received a second place prize in sculpture in "Concurso Esso para Artistas Jóvenes" held in San Juan in November 1964. His stone sculpture, "Caracol," subsequently traveled to Washington, DC, where it was part of the Puerto Rican delegation in the Esso Salon of Young Artists, a contest held in 1965 for young Latin American artists sponsored by the Pan American Union and Esso.''Concurso Esso para artistas jóvenes'', exh. cat.,(San Juan, Puerto Rico: Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, November 1964); ''ESSO SALON OF YOUNG ARTISTS/SALONG ESSO DE ARTISTAS JOVENES. Sponsored by the Pan-American Union and Esso'', (Washington, DC: Pan-American Union, 1965). In 1976, he was named "The Most Outstanding Young Man in Puerto Rico" by the Junior Chamber of Commerce. In 1987 Batista was awarded the "Medalla de la Orden del Quinto Centenario" ("Medal of the Order of the 5th Century"), during the commemoration of Puerto Rico's discovered by

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

. The City of Bayamón is the sponsor of Batista's work with a permanent exposition in the Salón Batista. In 1991, a permanent exhibition of his works was also established in his native city of Luquillo. Tomás Batista's works of art are found in museums in Puerto Rico, New York and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and also in private collections. Batista currently travels around the island and abroad giving conferences about his art.

Gallery

References

External links