Ángel Botello

Spanish/Puerto Rican, 1913-1986

Ángel Botello was a Spanish-Puerto Rican artist who practiced painting, sculpture, and graphic design. Botello incorporated aspects of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in his art to create vivid pieces capturing life on islands in and around the Caribbean.  

Botello was born in Galicia, Spain, and his family relocated to Bordeaux, France, in the 1920s. Though his mother hoped he would become a farmer, Botello became interested in architecture, and spent four years at the École des Beaux-Arts alongside his brother, Manuel. In 1935, Botello returned to Spain, where he enrolled in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. His works from this period reflect his artistic development, as they became increasingly stylized and influenced by modern art movements.   

Starting in 1940, Botello travelled across the Caribbean Islands, spending time in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Haiti, where he resided for ten years with his wife, Christian Auguste. While in Haiti, Botello created unique paintings reflective of local culture and explored the art of Haitian wood carving.  

Botello moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1953, where he lived for the rest of his life. As a result of his success, Botello received the title of “The Caribbean Gauguin,” an homage to the French artist from whom he drew inspiration throughout his career. The works he created in Puerto Rico were some of his most recognized, characterized by unique caricatures in what became known as the “Botellian Style.”