Virginia Pérez-Ratton is the pseudonym for Virginia Pérez Johnston (1950–2010). She was a Costa Rican artist, art historian, art critic and curator. She devoted a large part of her life to the promotion of

visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile art ...

and the development of artists in

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and the Caribbean.Hivos (2010
''Virginia Perez Ratton, moeder van de beeldende kunst in Midden Amerika, overleden''

Biography

Virginia Pérez Johnston was born on September 16, 1950 in San José, Costa Rica.Prince Claus Fund (2002) Press report on the presentation of the Prince Claus Awards 2002]Chinchilla U., Darío (7 October 2010
''Falleció Virginia Pérez-Ratton, Premio Magón del 2009''
La Nación Pérez-Ratton obtained her academic degree in

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than F ...

at the

University of Costa Rica The University of Costa Rica (Spanish: ''Universidad de Costa Rica,'' abbreviated UCR) is a public university in the Republic of Costa Rica, in Central America. Its main campus, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, is located in San Pedro M ...

. She got her first artistic study in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

from Grace Blanco ( drawing), Lola Fernández (

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

) and Juan Luis Rodríguez (

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

). In 1987 she went on for a study of

Engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

at the

École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs The École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ÉnsAD, also known as Arts Decos', École des Arts Décoratifs) is a public grande école of art and design of PSL Research University. The school is located in the Rue d'Ulm in Paris. Profi ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, and later continued this study in Strasbourg, France. Since 1994, Pérez-Ratton was the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design in San José. She organized a series of exhibitions of regional artists and stimulated many artistic initiatives. One of these, was her foundation in 1999 of the art center TEOR/éTica, with the goal to promote

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...

from the region. She organized several conferences and international exhibitions.Prince Claus Fund
profile
/ref> In 2002 she was honored with a Prince Claus Award from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The jury described her as a ''re-inventor of Central America''. According to the jury, she "''managed to bring together the different artistic terrains of this fragmented and isolated region. With enormous tenacity she introduced artistic environments in and from Central America to each other and to the rest of the world.''" In 2009 she received the

Magón National Prize for Culture The Magón National Prize for Culture ''(Premio Nacional de Cultura Magón)'' is an award given by the government of Costa Rica, through its Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sport, to a Costa Rican citizen in recognition of their life's work in the ...

of the Costa Rican Ministry of Culture and Youth.Fundación Cisneros
biography
/ref> The Magón Prize is the highest cultural award, granted by the Costa Rican State. The last years of her life, Pérez-Ratton struggled with

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. The disease turned out to be fatal, she died in her house in Concepción de Tres Ríos, Cartago, Costa Rica on October 6, 2010.

Bibliography (selection)

* * 1998: ''Centroamérica Y El Caribe: Una Historia En Blanco Y Negro'' *2000: ''Costa Rica En La VII Bienal De La Habana: Cuba'', with Alessandro Tosatti *2001: ''Bienal Internacional de Pintura'', with Adrián Arguedas, Emilia Villegas em Joaquín Rodriguez del Paso, *2002: ''Priscilla Monge: Armas Equívocas'', with

Priscilla Monge Priscilla Monge (born 1968) is a Costa Rican artist. She is one of the best-known female artists from Central America. Early life and education She was born in San José and studied art at the University of Costa Rica. In 1994, she settled in B ...

*2003: ''Héctor Burke: Un Desaparecido'', with Héctor Burke, *2003: ''Liliana Porter: Una "Puesta En Imágenes'', with Liliana Porter, *2004: ''Iconofagia'', with Tamara Díaz *2005: ''Enfoques A Distancia Sobre La Producción De Cultura En La Situación Contemporánea'', with Nikos Papastergiadis en Carlos Capelán, *2006: ''Estrecho Dudoso'', with Tamara Díaz, *2007: ''Rolando Castellón'', with

Rolando Castellón Rolando Castellón, also known as Rolando Dionisio Castellón-Alegria (born 1937) is a Nicaraguan American painter, author, art historian, and curator. He was a well-known contributor to the arts of San Francisco, California and he has lived in C ...

, Rolando Castellón en Tamara Díaz, *2009: ''Lida Abdul'', with Lida Abdul, Els van der Plas en Nikos Papastergiadis,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Virginia 1950 births 2010 deaths People from San José, Costa Rica 20th-century women artists Costa Rican artists Costa Rican women artists Costa Rican curators Art critics Museum directors Women museum directors 21st-century women artists