José Buscaglia Guillermety (born 1938) is an

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

and sculptor. He is a Fellow of the National Sculptor Society and a founding member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Puerto Rico.

Background

Buscaglia was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. His father Rafael Buscaglia was a lawyer, banker and an influential political figure within the ranks of The Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico. Besides being one of the co-founders of the party and the founder of the Banco Gubernamental of Fomento, he also held the cabinet position of Treasurer. Buscaglia's mother, Josefina Guillermety, was a student of noted opera singer Antonio Paoli. The family lived in the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan and also had a farm in Comerío, a town located in the central mountains of the island. There he came into constant contact with nature and peasant culture. On one occasion when he was six years old, his father went on a trip to New York City and brought back a box of modeling clay as a gift for his young son. Young José became fascinated with the gift and started to model human figures with it. His father recognized that his young son had a talent for sculpting and in 1946 enrolled him in an arts school where he was to take lessons from Ismael D'Alzina. After attending his regular school, he would go to the arts school and take six hours of sculpting classes per day.

Education

Buscaglia received his primary and secondary education at the Sacred Heart Academy of Santurce graduating in 1956. He then attended Harvard University where he was the first person to receive a Bachelors in Fine Arts (1960). He spent his junior year abroad in

Barcelona, Spain Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

where he became a disciple of Catalan sculptor Enrique Monjo. After graduating from Harvard he returned to Spain to complete his apprenticeship with Monjo.

Professional career

Buscaglia returned to Puerto Rico in 1962 and was commissioned by the Government of Puerto Rico to erect a monument in the likeness of the late governor

Jesus T. Piñero Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

. He was hired by the University of Puerto Rico and held the position of Director of Fine Arts at various periods between 1962 and 1979. In 1979 he was instrumental in the development and design of an experimental program, sponsored by the Venezuelan Government and Harvard University, that became known a
''Project Intelligence''

Main Sculptural Works

Buscaglia has created over forty monuments which can be found in Puerto Rico, the

U.S. Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

and the United States. His works have been exhibited at Yale University, Harvard University, Rockefeller Center, the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C., Hostos Community College in New York City, Barcelona and Madrid. His principal works include: * Jesus T. Piñero (1962) *

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...

(1963) * John F. Kennedy (1969) * Death Mask of

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals,

(1973) * Statue of Justice (1973) * Statue of Santiago Iglesias Pantín (1977) *

Roberto Cofresí Roberto Cofresí y Ramírez de Arellano (June 17, 1791 – March 29, 1825), better known as El Pirata Cofresí, was a pirate from Puerto Rico. He was born into a noble family, but the political and economic difficulties faced by the island as a c ...

(1989) * Roberto Clemente (1996) *

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 ...

(1998) * Puerto Rican Family Monument (2009) * Altar de la Patria (dedicated in 2012)

Awards

On July 31, 2004, In Providence, Rhode Island, the Puerto Rican Day Parade and Festival Organization presented José Buscaglia Guillermety with the "Artistic Excellence Award".

Relations

Buscaglia is married to Inés Salgado Nieves (San Juan, 1940) and has five children: José, Rafael (1965-2017), Gian Carlo, Gina María, and Piero. José Francisco Buscaglia is a writer, and a full professor in th
Department of Cultures, Societies and Global Studies
at Notrtheastern University in Bosto
Gian Carlo Buscaglia
is a prominent Latin musician, composer, singer and guitarist in the Boston metropolitan area.

References

External links

The Sculptural World of José BuscagliaJosé Buscaglia, 1967José Buscaglia: Arts Meets Empire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buscaglia Guillermety, Jose 1938 births Living people Puerto Rican educators Puerto Rican sculptors Harvard University alumni University at Buffalo alumni Artists from San Juan, Puerto Rico