Until September, the only museum dedicated to the poster in the United States presents an unmissable retrospect of the artist that defined the Puerto Rican graph of the twentieth century. Politics, culture and art gathered in a sample as visual as historical.
Poster House presents until September 2025 the work of Lorenzo Homar in the heart of Manhattan, at its headquarters located at 119 on 23 West Street, New York. With this exhibition, the Museum opens its doors to one of the most anticipated exhibitions of the season: Puerto Rico in printing: Lorenzo Homar’s posters. It is a vibrant and deep retrospective that covers more than three decades of production of the artist, considered the father of the Puerto Rican poster.
The exhibition, cured by Alejandro Anreus, Professor Emeritus of Latin American History and Studies at the William Paterson University, explores the legacy of the iconic engraver, caligraph, illustrator and designer who helped to forge a visual identity for Puerto Rico, from the 1950s until that of 1990.
“Homar took advantage of his posters designs to promote education and the arts, contributed to establishing the Puerto Rican patriotic identity and, later in his career, to promote the calls to the independence of the island,” says the gazette of the museum, highlighting the political and cultural role of the artist. His work covers not only an impeccable visual technique, but also a commitment to the historical values and tensions of his homeland.
A life between inks, symbols and history
Born in San Juan in 1913, Lorenzo Homar was a multifaceted artist whose trajectory left an indelible mark on the history of Latin American design. Formed in Art in New York and then in Puerto Rico, Homar channeled influences that went from the Taina indigenous cultures to the Spanish and African heritage of the island.
His creative work was developed in a context marked by deep social changes, in particular under the government of Luis Muñoz Marín, first elected governor of Puerto Rico, during the 50s and 60s. Through his graphic work, Homar explored the tensions between modernity and tradition, nationalism and cultural identity, colonialism and sovereignty.
Posters that tell stories
The exhibition brings together some of Homar’s most emblematic posters, both political and cultural content. From posters that promoted access to performing arts to images that claimed a sovereign look on Puerto Rican history, their production is a visual testimony of the ideological and aesthetic evolution of a complex nation.
Many of his works are linked to the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture, where he led the engraving workshop. There, Homar not only produced fundamental works, but also formed new generations of artists, consolidating their role as a teacher and central figure in the development of Latin American cartelism.
“This exhibition presents some of the most famous and widely recognized political and artistic posters from the 1950s to the 1990s, and tracks its impact and influence as a professor of poster design and engraved in Latin America,” says the curatorial text.
A global look from New York
The poster house, opened in 2019, is the first and only museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to the global history of the poster as an artistic form and communication tool. In this context, Lorenzo Homar’s work occupies a prominent place as an expression of Latin American cartelism in its maximum power.
The exhibition not only invites you to know the work of a fundamental artist, but also opens a window to the dialogue between graphic design and struggles for cultural identity in Latin America. To visit the exhibition and take tickets visit the website https://posterhouse.org/exhibition/puerto-rico-in-print-the-posters-of-lolenzo-homar/. Guided visits and entry are free.
“Homar studied throughout his life the art of the poster, incorporating elements of the Taína, Spanish and African cultures, as well as the growing tensions between tradition and modernity,” recalls the exhibition, which will be available until September 7, 2025. By: Nahuel Leto
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