Artist Rafael Tufino, a DUMBO native, is
the subject of a six-decade retrospective at El Museo Del Barrio.
The exhibit, "Rafael Tufino: Painter of the People,"
will close after Sunday, Aug. 24.
The considerable breadth of his work – encompassing painting,
drawing, graphics, posters and illustrations – is displayed in
this show curated by Teresa Tio, director of the Instituto de
Cultura Puertorriquena.
The museum credits Tufino, also known as El Gran Tefo, for his
commitment both to modernist visual language and the richness
of his cultural identity as a Puerto Rican. Tufino’s linocut
"Cortador de cana" (1951), a man made anonymous by
his large straw hat, bent low wielding his machete in the cane
fields, is reminiscent of Diego Rivera’s equally hardworking
field hand in "The Flower Carrier" (1935). His riveting
painting "Goyita" (1953) is pictured above.
El Museo Del Barrio is located at 1230 Fifth Ave. at 104th Street
in Manhattan. Admission is $6, $4 students and seniors and free
for children ages 12 and younger accompanied by an adult. For
more information, call (212) 831-7272 or visit the Web site at
www.elmuseo.org.
