Tony Bechara

Tony Bechara’s  richly-hued abstract paintings employ the grid as the foundational element for his exploration of color principles, with a particular focus on the interplay between organization and randomness. Using strips of masking tape, he painstakingly lays out multicolor fields and their overall rhythm is determined by a process that is systematic but designed to encourage combinations of color to emerge by chance. The division of the surface of the painting into small modular boxes is similar to the effect of pixels; the gaze is constantly in motion. Bechara presents the viewer with their retinal and neurological relationship to color, balancing one’s immediate impression of hue and the overarching logic of pattern.

Tony Bechara was born in Puerto Rico in 1942 and lives and works in New York City. He attended Georgetown Law School and New York University, and  later studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and the New York School of Visual Art. In the 1970s and 80s, Bechara was included in exhibitions organized by the Boulder, Colorado based Criss-Cross pattern printing collective and featured work in the group exhibition ‘Islamic Allusions’ at the Alternative Museum in New York. In 1980 he received a fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts. Bechara has had solo exhibitions at El Museo del Barrio, New York in 1988; Alternative Museum in 1988; Artists Space in New York in 1993 and el Museo del Arte Puerto Rico in 2008. Recently, Bechara has participated in exhibitions ‘With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art, 1972-1985; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA, (2019), which travelled to the Hessel Museum of Art, CCS Bard, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, (2021); ‘Point of Departure: Abstraction 1958-Present’, Sheldon Museum of Art, Lincoln, NE (2021); and ‘Artists Choose Parrish”, Parrish Art Museum, NY, (2023).  His work can be found in numerous public and private collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; El Museo del Barrio, NY; Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico and the Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska, NE.

Beyond his artistic career, Tony Bechara has a strong commitment to community service, serving as an active board member for several organizations. Currently, he is the Chairman Emeritus on the board of El Museo del Barrio, and he also serves on the boards of Studio in a School and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

As Chairman of the Board at El Museo del Barrio,
Tony Bechara has played a pivotal leadership role in
the institution’s transformation into a nationally and internationally recognized LatinX and Latin
American museum.

CV [PDF]

Tony Bechara
born April 23, 1942 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
lives and works in New York

Education
Georgetown University, Washington D.C. (B.A.)
Georgetown University School of Law, Washington D.C.
University of Paris, Sorbonne
New York University, Graduate School of International Relations
School of Visual Arts, New York

Solo exhibitions

2024

Tony Bechara, Lisson Gallery, New York

2010/11

Tony Bechara, Minima Visibilia; Six Monochromatic Grey Paintings, Frederico Sève Gallery, New York

2009

Tony Bechara: Obras Recientes, Galería Petrus, San Juan (PR)

2008

Tony Bechara: Obras Recientes, Galería Petrus, San Juan (PR)

Minima Visibilia: Pinturas Grises de Tony Bechara, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan (PR)

Tony Bechara: Grand Canyon, Lehman College Art Gallery, New York

2006

Tony Bechara, Galería Ramis Barquet, Monterrey, Mexico

Tony Bechara: Paintings, Latincollector Gallery, New York

2003

Tony Bechara: Mosaics, Andre Zarre Gallery, New York

2002

Tony Bechara, Latincollector Gallery, Miami

2001

Tony Bechara: Recent Works, Latincollector Gallery, New York

1997

Paintings by Tony Bechara, The Century Association, New York

1993

Tony Bechara, Artists Space, New York

1988

Tony Bechara: Recent Painting 1985-87, The Alternative Museum, New York

1985

Tony Bechara: Paintings 1980-85, El Museo del Barrio, New York

1984

Tony Bechara: Paintings, Georgetown Court Artists’ Space, Washington, D.C.

1983/84

Tony Bechara, Hubert Humphrey Building, Main Gallery, Department of Education, Washington D.C.

1982

Tony Bechara, Gallery Yves Arman, New York

1981

Tony Bechara: New Works, Gallery Yves Arman, New York

1980

Tony Bechara: Works on Paper, Bild & Rahmen Gallery, Munich

Tony Bechara: Farbe und Licht, Apollon Galerie Die Insel, Munich

1979

Tony Bechara, Apollon Galerie Die Insel, Munich

Selected group exhibitions

2023

Artists Choose Parrish Part 1, Parrish Art Museum, New York

2022

Art et Programmation, Galerie Denise René (Espace Marais), Paris

Singing in Unison: Artists Need to Create on the Same Scale that Society Has the Capacity to Destroy: Part 2, presented by Rail (The Brooklyn Rail) Curatorial Projects, Scully Tomasko Foundation, NY ;

Part 4, Ricco/Maresca Gallery, NY; Part 5, Totah Gallery, NY ;  Part 6, Miguel Abreu Gallery, NY;  Part 7, Industry City, Brooklyn, NY

Forme / mouvement, sélection 44-22,Galerie Denise René (Espace Marais), Paris

Mouvement | Hommage à Denise René, Bonisson Art Center, Rognes (France)

2021

Point of Departure: Abstraction 1958-Present, Sheldon Museum of Art, Lincoln (NE)

Entreformas, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan (PR)

2019

Group Show, Galerie Denise René (Rive Gauche), Paris

Culture and The People: El Museo del Barrio, 1969-2019 (Part I), El Museo del Barrio, New York

With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art, 1972-1985, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, October 27, 2019–May 11, 2020; Hessel Museum of Art at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson (NY), June 20 – December 11, 2020

Espace et Tension: Une Sélection d’Artistes Contemporains, Galerie Denise René (Espace Marais), Paris

2016

The Illusive Eye: An International Survey of Kinetic and Op Art, El Museo del Barrio, New York

Chus Burés: La Conciencia de la Materia, Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas, Madrid

2013

Intersections: MoLAA’s Permanent Collection, Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach (CA)

2012

Interconexiones: Lecturas Curatoriales de la Colección del MAPR, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan (PR)

2010

Then & Now: Abstraction in Latin American Art from 1950 to Present, 60 Wall Gallery Deutsche Bank, New York

Voces y Visiones: Signs, Systems & the City in El Museo del Barrio’s Permanent Collection, El Museo del Barrio, New York

2009

The Object is Illuminated, Frederico Sève Gallery, New York

Desnudos y Otras Revelaciones, Galería Petrus, San Juan (PR)

2008

ArteAméricas Art Fair, Latincollector Gallery, Miami

2004

Prismatic Spaces, Andre Zarre Gallery, New York

2003

Estrictamente Geométrico, Galería Ganza, Miami

2002

Highlights of the Collection, El Museo del Barrio, New York

1999

New Graphics, Taller Frances Wu, Lima

1998

New Works, New Visions, Taller Boricua Gallery, New York

1997

Colors: Contrasts and Cultures, Discovery Museum, Bridgeport (CT)

1996

Creaciones en Papel, Museo de Arte de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan (PR)

1994

Reaffirming Spirituality, El Museo del Barrio, New York

1993

Tony Bechara, Carmen Herrera, Tom Murrin, Mac Wells: Abstract Paintings, Masks & Performances, Artists Space, New York

1992

Museo Cautiño, Guayama (PR)

1990

A Force of Repetition, New Jersey State Museum, Trenton (NJ)

1989

Contemporary Latin American Art: An Exhibition of Work by American Artists of Latin American Descent, Tower Fine Arts Gallery, State University of New York

1988

¡Mira!, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (CA)

Contemporary Syntax, Structure & Geometry, Robeson Center Gallery, Rutgers University, Newark (NJ)

1987

Arte Abstracto, Museo de Arte de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan (PR)

1986

Art, New York, Sneed Gallery, Rockford (IL)

1985

Art of the 1970s and 1980s, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield (CT)

1983

Surfaces, Creiger Sesen, Boston (MA)

1981

The Shaped Field: Eccentric Formats, MoMA PS1 (NY)

Recent Directions, Robeson Center Gallery, Rutgers University, Newark (NJ)

The Shaped Field: Eccentric Formats, MoMA PS1, New York

1980

Dialects, Franklin Furnace, New York

Islamic Allusions, The Alternative Museum, New York

Tony Bechara – Farbe und Licht / Gottfried von Haeseler – Der Farbenbaukasten, Apollon Galerie Die Insel, Munich

1979

Latin American Painters, Queens Museum, New York

Fifteen New Talents, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield (CT)

The Criss-Cross Pattern Project, Exhibition of Pattern Work, Boulder Art Center, Boulder (CO)

Five New Painters, Soho Center for Visual Arts, New York

1978/9

Bridge Between Islands: Retrospective Works by Six Puerto Rican Artists in New York – Henry Street Settlement House/ Bronx Museum of the Arts/ El Museo del Barrio (NY)

Resurgimiento 1978, El Museo del Barrio, NY

1977

Latins in New York, Museo de Arte de Ponce, PR

1976

Magnet New York: A Selection of Works by Latin American Artists Living in New York, Center for Inter-American Relations, New York

1975

Whitney Biennial 1975: Contemporary American Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

1974

Paintings and Assemblages ’74, Forum Gallery, NY

1973

Eight Latin Americans – Contemporary Arts Gallery, Loeb Student Center, New York University, New     York

1972

Puerto Rican Artists, New York State Council for the Arts, New York

Contemporary Latino Americano Art Exhibit, Contemporary Arts Gallery, Loeb Student Center, New York University, NY

1970

Ten Puerto Rican Artists, Brooklyn Museum, NY

1969

Contemporary Puerto Rican Artists: An Exhibition of Painting & Sculpture, Community Gallery at the Brooklyn Museum, NY

Awards

2010

El Museo del Barrio, Special Leadership Award

2006

Museum of Latin American Art, MoLAA Art Prize

El Diario La Prensa, Latinos of the Year

1980

National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship

Public Commissions

1988

Mural, Cooper Square Development Corporation, New York

1982

Art Across The Park, Central Park, N.Y.C. Dept. of Cultural Affairs

Selected Bibliography

2022

D’Orgeval, Domitille: Art et Programmation – Galerie Denise René (Espace Marais), Paris [catalogue]

D’Orgeval, Domitille: Mouvement – hommage à Denise René – Bonisson Art Center, Rognes [catalogue]

2020

D’Orgeval, Domitille: Espace et Tension – Galerie Denise René (Espace Marais), Paris [catalogue]

2019

Katz, Anna (organized by): With Pleasure: Pattern and Decoration in American Art, 1972-1985, published by the  Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in association with Yale University Press, New Haven (CT) (pp. 88/89 & 287)

2018

Latorre, Jorge: Nueva York sigue siendo el centro del universo artístico,  Ars Magazine, Madrid (July-September, pp. 44/9 & 149/51)

2016

Celant, Germano: Chus Burés: Atmospheres for the Body / Chus Burés Portraits & Jewellery, Ediciones El Viso, Madrid (pp. 34, 63, 161 & 166)

2010

Lezama Alvarez, Manuel: Tony Bechara – Galería Petrus, Arte al Día (online, April 8)

Espinel, Monica: Abstraction as an expansive venture, Then & Now: Abstraction in Latin American Art from 1950 to Present, 60 Wall Gallery Deutsche Bank, New York [catalogue]

Drucks, Achim: Then & Now, DB Art Magazine (May 24)

2009

Herrero, Esther: El Triunfo de Tony Bechara, Selecta Magazine (May 5)

Kartofel, Graciela: Elizabeth Jobim and Tony Bechara, Art Nexus, N° 73 (June/August, pp. 112/3)

2008

Purcell, Marilú: Tony Bechara: Síntesis, ilusión & masking tapeTony Bechara: Obras Recientes – Galería Petrus, San Juan (PR) [catalogue]

Rivera, Carlos Rubén: Artista de la Experiencia – Primera Hora (February 14)

Clavijo, Raisa: Arteaméricas, Primera Hora (March 27)

Sanz de Arellano López, Isabel: Colorido Espectro de Pasiones, Imagen – Nuestra Revista (August 15)

Trelles Hernández, Carmen: Sumergidos en un Juego Gris, El Nuevo Día.com (September 25)

Ramos Rivas, Ph.D., Lourdes: Foreword; López Quintero, Juan Carlos: Minima Visibilia: Pinturas Grises de Tony Bechara, Minima Visibilia: Pinturas Grises de Tony Bechara, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan (PR)  [catalogue]

Genocchio, Benjamin: At Lehman Gallery, Getting a Feel for the Abstract, New York Times (October 24)

2007

Cotter, Holland: Bulletins from a Bustling ‘Undiscovered’ Land, New York Times (November 19)

2006

New York Sun (March 28)

Tony Bechara: Paintings, Latincollector Gallery, New York [catalogue]

Villasmil, Alejandra: El Diario La Prensa, New York (May 14)

Zambrano, Lourdes: Torna Gran Manzana en Coloridos Pixeles, El Norte, Monterrey (September 26)

Stroh, Adele: In Profile, Studio Space, SIAS, Fall

Weil, Rex: Tony Bechara: Andre Zarre and Latincollector, Art News, Issue 9 (October, pp. 182/3)

Calirman, Claudia: Tony Bechara: Latin Collector Art Center, Art Nexus, N° 62 (October /December, pp. 150/1)

‘Latinos of the Year’, El Diario La Prensa (November 1)

Goodman, Jonathan: Tony Bechara at Latin Collector and Andre ZarreArt in America , N° 10 (November, p. 209)

2004

Miami Herald (March 14)

2003

Picard, Charmaine: Tony Bechara /Latin Collector, Art Nexus, N° 50 (September/November, pp. 144/5)

Turner, Grady, Art News, N° 8 (September, p. 137)

2001

Tony Bechara: Recent Works, Latincollector Gallery, New York [catalogue]

1997

Zimmer, William: Color, So Much the Essence of What Happens in a Painting, New York Times (December 21)

1996

Valdés, Gustavo: Interview Tony Bechara, Ars Magazine (January/February, Number 2, pp. 16/19)

1990

Grundberg, Andy: New Jerseyans Examine the Road to Uniqueness, New York Times (August 24)

1988

Karlins, N.F., Battery News (February 1)

Torruella Leval, Susana: Identity and Change: The Latin American Challenge; Pau-Llosa, Ricardo: Latin American Aesthetics in North America: The “Hispanic” Artist and the Value of Legacy; Lockpez, Inverna: The Conquered Land Changed the Conquerors¡Mira! – Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery (CA)   [catalogue]

Weld, Alison: Structure and Geometry, Contemporary Syntax, Structure & Geometry, Robeson Center Gallery, Rutgers University, Newark (NJ) [catalogue]

1985

Colón Morales, Rafael: Tony Bechara: Paintings 1980-85; Connor, Russell: Introduction; Neaman, Judith: The Mutable Image, Tony Bechara: Paintings 1980-85, El Museo del Barrio, New York [catalogue]

Glueck, Grace, New York Times (June 28)

Brown, Thomas, Dial Magazine (August)

1982

McConnell, Gordon, Art Space (Summer)

1981

Perrault, John, Soho News (January 14)

Criss-Cross Art Communications, # 13, Boulder (CO)

1980

Larson, Kay, Village Voice (February 4)

Tony Bechara – Farbe und Licht / Gottfried von Haeseler – Der Farbenbaukasten, Apollon Galerie Die Insel, Galerien Maximilianstrasse München, Farbe, Munich [catalogue]

Buonagurio, Edgar, Arts Magazine (April)

Schneider, Helmut: Color on Maximilianstrasse, Die Zeit (April 10)

Nadelman, Cynthia: Tony Bechara, Art News (Summer)

Larson, Kay, Village Voice (October 26)

Browning, Robert H.: Foreword; Kingsley, April: Introduction Islamic Allusions, The Alternative Museum, New York [catalogue]

1979

Glueck, Grace, New York Times (January 26)

Szeemann, Harald: Zurück und hin zur “Würde des Dekorativen”; Beiträge zu einer Geschichte des Dekorativen und des Pattern im 20. Jahrhundert, Du – Die Kunstzeitschrift n°6, Zurich (June, pp. 57/63)

Criss-Cross Art Communications, # 10, Boulder (CO)

1978

Bridge Between Islands: Retrospective Works by Six Puerto Rican Artists in New York [catalogue]

Resurgence ’78, El Museo del Barrio, NY

1975

1975 Biennial Exhibition, Whitney Museum of American Art  (catalogue)

1976

Christian Science Monitor (January 21)

1972

Glueck, Grace: In Puerto Rican Artists’ Show, a Goal, New York Times (January 18)

1969

De Delgado de Torres, Olivia: Una Fecunda Veta de Artistas Desconocidos, Life en Español (May 19, pp. C7/C7-2)

Public Collections

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (NY)
Albright Museum, Reading (PA)
El Museo del Barrio, New York (NY)
Harlem Art Collection, New York State Office Building (NY)
Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska (NE)
Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan (PR)