Recognized legacy:

John Balossi was well known, celebrated and respected in the art community of  his adoptive island of Puerto Rico, for his art creations and also for his legacy as an Art Professor.

In Puerto Rico he created art and lived a productive life surrounded by his family and friends.

Balossi was an Italian-American painter, sculptor, ceramist and printmaker. Born in New York City. He received his BFA and Master’s degree at Columbia University in N.Y.C.  From 1962 to 1988 he was an associate Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras.

Artistic trajectory:

He participated in some thirty one-man exhibitions in Puerto Rico, New York, Italy, France, Spain and Yugoslavia.

Acomplished sculptor

John Balossi realized large format outstanding sculptures in rough black steel and stainless steel.

Some of them are stationed at private collections and at museums –Museo de Arte de Ponce- and at public plazas-Centro de Bellas Artes, Luís A Ferre.

Plastic expression

In his paintings he expressed a liberal brush stroke and created intriguing expressionistic paintings. His paintings are rich in a sense of mystery that capture and incite intrigue in the observer. In his thematic, he was well known for his interpretations of horses interacting with human figures. But furthermore, he was inspired by other classical themes. He painted the human figure, landscapes, city views of “the Great Apple” and still life arrangements. He successfully managed different media. He made masterful drawings with pencil color ink and charcoal.

Important Art Collections:

His work can be found in the Museum of Modern Art (N.Y.); Finch College Museum (N.Y.); Museum of Fine Arts (Fort Lauderdale); Chase Manhattan Fine Arts Center; University of Massachusetts Amherst; Ponce Art Museum (PR); University of Puerto Rico Museum, Rio Piedras,  Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Library of Congress, Washington D.C., Giorgio La Pira, Rome, Societá Economica di Chiavari, Italy and in many other public and private art collections.

René Castillo Ramos Copyright © 2015