Dinora(h) Bolandi Jimenez (1923 – 2004) was a

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

n artist. She studied in the United States, taught 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 Mo ...

and created hundreds of paintings. She won the leading national prize for art in 1990.

Life

Bolandi was born in 1923 in San José. Her father, Walter Bolandi, was a leading photographer and cinematographer and her mother, Marina Jiménez, was a pianist. She had drawing lessons from Fausto Pacheco. Her mother became her companion after she returned from fifteen years studying in Colorado and in New York with

Ivan Olinsky Ivan Gregorewitch Olinsky (1 January 1878 – 11 February 1962) was a Russian-born American painter and art instructor. Biography Olinsky was born in Yelisavetgrad , Russian Empire (now Kirovohrad, Ukraine). After immigrating to the United St ...

and

Robert Brackman Robert Brackman (September 25, 1898 – July 16, 1980) was an American artist and teacher, best known for large figural works, portraits, and still lifes. Biography Robert Brackman was born on September 25, 1898, in Odessa, Russian Empire (no ...

. She worked as a photographer in the 1960s before she became a professor at the

and later at the

National University of Colombia The National University of Colombia () is a national public research university in Colombia, with general campuses in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira, and satellite campuses in Leticia, San Andrés, Arauca, Tumaco, and La Paz, ...

. Bolandi was not interested in exhibiting her work and only showed four pieces of work and only to please others. She was given 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 Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the no ...

although she did not consider herself worthy of it. She retired in 1983. She was in the first wave of Costa Rican women artists that included Margarita Bertheau, Lola Fernandez and

Sonia Romero Sonia Amalia Romero (born 1980 in Los Angeles, California) is an American artist, she is known for her print making, printmaking, mixed media linocut prints, murals, and public art based in Los Angeles. She is known for depicting Los Angeles, Lat ...

. These four who all taught fine art at the University of Costa Rica are said to have inspired the second generation of Costa Rican women artists. Dinora eventually became a near recluse in Escazú, selling little, and using her mother, her dog, and the occasional stranger as models.

Death and legacy

Bolandi died in 2004 leaving over two hundred paintings to the Central Banks museums. In 2014 it was announced that a new combined gallery and waiting area at the second floor of Melico Salazar Theatre would be named in honour of Bolandi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolandi, Dinora 1923 births 2004 deaths People from San José de las Lajas 20th-century Costa Rican painters Costa Rican women artists 20th-century women artists 21st-century Costa Rican painters 21st-century women artists Academic staff of the University of Costa Rica Academic staff of the National University of Colombia Costa Rican expatriates in Colombia