black-and-white candid photograph shows the artist Angel Botello in profile, looking upward and to the left with a contemplative expression. He has dark, wavy hair, a trimmed beard and mustache, and wears thick-rimmed rectangular glasses. His light-colored button-down shirt is splattered with dark paint, suggesting he is in the middle of his creative process.

About the Artist

​Ángel Botello Barros (1913–1986) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, and graphic artist. Born on June 20, 1913, in Cangas de Morrazo, Galicia, Spain. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux, France. In 1935, he returned to Spain to continue his studies at the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. However, the Spanish Civil War disrupted his education; Botello fought for the Republican Army, and after their defeat, he fled to the Dominican Republic in 1940.

Following the war, Botello sought refuge in the Dominican Republic, marking the beginning of his profound connection with the Caribbean. He later moved to Haiti, where he married Christiane Auguste. In 1953, the couple relocated to Puerto Rico, where they founded Las Antillas Gallery (later renamed Galería Botello), one of the island’s first art galleries. 

Ángel Botello’s work captures the spirit and color of the Caribbean with striking emotion and bold style. Often referred to as “The Caribbean Gauguin,” Botello is best known for his vivid portrayals of everyday island life, particularly women and children, rendered in bright colors, geometric simplifications and expressive forms. He passed away on November 11, 1986, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, leaving a legacy as a pioneer of Caribbean art.

A collage of vintage photographs and a quote commemorates the life and work of Spanish-Puerto Rican artist Ángel Botello. The upper left shows a black-and-white photo of the artist focused on a drawing at a desk, while the larger image on the right depicts him in his studio, holding a palette and brushes next to a sculpted head. The middle section features a close-up portrait of Botello alongside an intimate photo of him with his wife, Christiane Auguste. In the bottom right, the artist is seen painting a large canvas with a bright yellow sun. A bold red box in the bottom left contains the white text: “Painting, painting above everything else. The rest is secondary. ~Botello”

Sculptures

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Ángel Botello | La Coiffure | Bronze | Ed. 6 | c. 1970 | 72 x 40 x 29” A figurative sculpture characterized by elongated proportions and a rough, pebbled texture. The stylized figure is depicted in a squatting or seated position on a thin rectangular base, with its long, thin arms raised overhead to form a large diamond shape. The head is small and pointed, tucked within the frame of the arms, and the lower body features wide, angular legs. The overall patina is a dark, weathered bronze, giving the modern piece a timeless and expressive quality.
Ángel Botello | La Coiffure | Bronze | Ed. 6 | c. 1970 | 72 x 40 x 29” The vertical, figurative sculpture depicts a seated girl with an elongated, slender torso and a serene, simplified face. Her long, thin arms are raised overhead, joining at the top to form a large, diamond-shaped frame around her small, pointed head. She appears to be in the act of combing her hair. The figure is seated on a thin rectangular base with her legs splayed outward in a wide, angular position, creating a rhythmic and geometric silhouette. The piece is characterized by a heavily textured, dark bronze patina.

La Coiffure

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Ángel Botello | Girl Dancing in the Wind | Bronze | 62 x 29 x 16" The vertical, figurative sculpture depicts a person with a weathered green patina standing on a dark grey rectangular base in an outdoor garden setting. The figure features an elongated neck and a serene, simplified face with hair that appears to be wind-blown to the left. They wear a textured, wide-skirted gown with an angular, wing-like sleeve raised on the left side, while the right arm is bent at the elbow. The sculpture is positioned among lush green tropical plants, including broad-leafed monsteras and peace lilies, with a multi-pane window and a textured stone wall in the background.
Ángel Botello | Girl Dancing in the Wind | Bronze | 62 x 29 x 16"

Girl Dancing in the Wind

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depicts a stylized mother cradling her child. The central figure of the mother is rendered with an extremely elongated, slender neck and a small, minimalist head, her arms forming a protective, curving loop around the smaller child perched against her chest. Both figures feature simplified, serene facial features and textured, cap-like hair. The mother wears a long, flowing gown that broadens into a wide, textured base

Mother and Child 

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Paintings - Drawings

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A still-life oil painting by Puerto Rican artist Ángel Botello, titled Communion, rendered in a warm, textured expressionist style with bold black outlines. The central foreground is dominated by a large, mounded white mass, possibly bread or dough, resting in a shallow dark bowl. Directly behind it sits a large, dark brown ceramic vessel with two rounded handle openings. To the left, a yellow plate decorated with blue curved patterns is partially visible, and behind that stands a simple black crucifix. The composition is set against a background of flat, muted greens and warm tans.

Comunión

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Ángel Botello | Vudú (Estudio) | Drawing | c. 1950 | 12 x 13” unframed | 28 x 27.25” with frame

Vudú (Estudio) 

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depicts a young girl sitting at a small, triangular table. The girl is rendered with bold, minimalist outlines, featuring a large, rounded face with simplified features, including small, narrow eyes and a tiny, puckered mouth. She has shoulder-length, straight hair and is shown from the waist up, wearing a simple, long-sleeved dress with a single circular detail on the chest. One of her hands is raised near her cheek in a delicate gesture, while the other rests in her lap. To her left, a vase with several long-stemmed, star-shaped flowers sits on the table, which is detailed with a row of small dots along its edge. The girl is seated on a spindle-back chair.

Niña Arreglando Flores 

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Linocuts

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Ángel Botello | OP | Madre e hijo | Linocut | Ed. 100 | c.1978 | 24 x 17 ¾ ” Stylized cubist color linocut of a mother sitting in an orange chair, holding her young daughter. Both figures have elongated faces, almond-shaped eyes, and dark, straight hair with square bangs. The composition uses bold black outlines and a warm, textured palette of mustard yellow, earthy brown, and vibrant orange-red.

Madre e hijo

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Ángel Botello | Pájaro en Jaula | Linocut | Ed. 50 | 21 x 17" Stylized cubist linocut of a girl with an elongated face and long dark hair, holding a tall green birdcage. Inside, a small white bird with its beak open sits perched. The composition uses bold black outlines and a warm, textured palette of green, ochre, and deep brown.

Pájaro en Jaula

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Ángel Botello | La Carta | Linocut | Ed. 100 | 24 x 18" Stylized print of three figures with angular faces and dark hair sitting close together indoors. The central figure wears a blue patterned dress and sits on a red chair, while another figure in yellow leans in from the left and touches the central figure’s face. A third figure appears behind them. The composition uses geometric shapes and muted earth tones with bright accents of red, yellow, and blue. The setting includes abstract interior elements such as a window and patterned floor.

La Carta

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Lithographs - Silkscreens - Woodcuts

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depicts a stylized girl and a large, geometric animal, likely a horse or cow, in a vibrant, earth-toned palette. The girl, positioned on the left, has a wide, split-color face—half yellow and half green—with small red circular cheeks and simple features. She wears a pink patterned dress and holds a long, braided pigtail that curves over her head toward the animal. The large animal on the right is rendered with sharp, angular forms in shades of ochre and brown, featuring oversized, expressive eyes and small black wheels for feet. The background is a mix of textured golden-yellow, muted grey, and dark purple,

Niña Mala

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Features a highly stylized, close-up portrait of a woman rendered in a warm, monochromatic palette of ochre, tan, and dark brown. The figure’s face is a large, rounded form with geometric features, including small, almond-shaped eyes and a tiny, puckered mouth. On the right, a large, dark-haired hand holds a yellow-toothed comb, pulling it through a mass of thick, wiry black hair that fans out across the top of the composition. The entire surface is characterized by Botello's frequent use of sgraffito, with fine, rhythmic lines scratched into the print to create a rich, woven or woodcut-like texture. Two small, circular orange-red dots are positioned on her cheeks, adding a subtle pop of color to the otherwise earthy tones.

Niña Peinándose

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Features two stylized bouquets of flowers in contrasting vases against a dark, textured background. On the left, a tall, angular black and purple vase holds a dense cluster of vibrant red-orange flowers with dark circular centers, set against a tan, stippled ground. To the right, a wider, low-profile bowl-like vase decorated with a colorful mosaic pattern contains a second bouquet of bright white, daisy-like flowers with dark centers.

Flores

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