Francisco Rodón

Francisco Rodón, named Puerto Rico's most important 20th century painter at the Expo 92 World's Fair in Seville, Spain, joining the 18th century's José Campeche and the 19th century's Francisco Oller, was born on June 6, 1934 in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico. He studied in Mexico, France and Spain. Known for his portraits of important local, regional and world figures, such as Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges, Puerto Rican patriarch Luis Muñoz Marín, Cuban dancer Alicia Alonso and Perú's Mario Vargas Llosa, he is also known for his landscapes and still life’s. The value of his works consistently exceed that of other living Puerto Ricans in auctions held between 1990 and 2009. For example, his Retrato de Medea sold for $93,000 at an auction in 1990. In November 2009, his most recent oil on canvas, Puedo Retornar al Crepúsculo y la Noche sold for U.S. $302,500 at Sotheby's New York, the highest price paid to that date for a Puerto Rican painting.