Arnaldo Roche Rabell (1955-2018)

Puerto Rican painter, described as “one of the most important artists of the neo-expressionist movement”.

He was educated at the Luchetti School of Art in San Juan, Puerto Rico, later studying architecture at the University of Puerto Rico before graduating with an MFA at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1984.

Roche Rabell became known for his textured, sensual neo-expressionist paintings which often dealt with themes of memory, political turbulence, and consciousness, as well as the medium of painting itself. He developed a technique of rubbing or scratching away the layers of paint to create his images.

Roche Rabell’s work can be found in the permanent collections of the Miami Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Juan and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Roche Rabell died on November 17, 2018, after suffering from cancer.