Antonio Sotomayor

Antonio "Tony" Sotomayor (1902–1985) was a Bolivian-born American artist and educator, known as a painter and muralist.[1] He also worked as a illustrator, caricaturist, designer, and ceramicist.[1] He was nicknamed San Francisco's 'Artist Laureate'.[2]

Antonio Sotomayor
Sotomayor Painting on Glass, c.1935.
Born(1902-05-13)May 13, 1902
Chulumani, Bolivia
DiedFebruary 10, 1985(1985-02-10) (aged 82)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Other namesTony Sotomayor
Alma materMark Hopkins Institute of Art
Years active1923–1985
Known forMurals, Illustrations, Caricatures, Ceramics
Spouse(s)Grace Andrews Sotomayor

Biography

Antonio Sotomayor was born in May 13, 1902 in Chulumani, Bolivia to parents Celia Meza and Juan Sotomayor.[2][3] He studied at Escuela de Bellas Artes in La Paz, with Belgian artist Adolf Lambert.[1]

In 1923, Sotomayor immigrated to San Francisco.[4] He initially working as a dishwasher at the Palace Hotel, a role that only lasted five days.[4][5] While working at the Palace he learned English and he would paint caricatures of his co-workers at the hotel, eventually they made him the "artist in residence".[2][6] In the 1930s he painted two murals at the Palace Hotel, in the room known as “The Pied Piper.”[4] When he had first arrived in San Francisco he had wanted to be an architect, but over time he changed.[6] He continued his studies at the Mark Hopkins Institute of Art (now San Francisco Art Institute).[1]

Sotomayor was an art professor at Mills College from 1942–1943.[7] He taught art at California School of Fine Art from 1940–1950.[7]

In 1937, he painted El Tigrero (1937) mural for the Richard Neutra designed Arthur and Mona Hofmann House in nearby Hillsborough, California.[8] In 1939, he created murals for the Peruvian Pavilion and the Fountain of the Pacific Bash, (a 36 foot by 46 foot, terracotta relief map) for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition (PPIE).[3][6]

For over a decade, he was a member of the San Francisco Arts Commission and received their "Award of Honor" in 1978.[3]

He had a strong interest in religious art.[3] In the early 1980s, Sotomayor painted a 30-panel mural for Grace Cathedral.[2] Sotomayor was a member of San Francisco Art Association; The Family; and Bohemian Club.[7]

Sotomayor died on February 10, 1985 at San Francisco Community Hospice, after a battle with cancer.[2] His work is included in various public museum collections including Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco,[9] Museum of Modern Art,[10] among others.

Personal life

He was married to Grace Andrews Sotomayor in 1927, they never had any children.[11][2] For forty years they lived in the Nob Hill neighborhood on Leroy Place in San Francisco.[3][5]

Bibliography

Books with illustrations by Sotomayor.

  • Jessup, Marie H.; Simpson, Lesley B. (1936). Indian Tales From Guatemala. Antonio Sotomayor (Illustrator). New York City, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons.
  • Sauer, Carl (1939). Man in Nature. Antonio Sotomayor (Illustrator), Aileen Corwin (maps). New York City, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons.
  • Von Hagen, Victor Wolfgang; Hawkins, Quail (1939). Quetzal Quest: A Story Of The Capture of The Quetzal, The Sacred Bird of the Aztecs and Mayans. New York City, NY: Harcourt, Brace and Company.
  • Bagnani, Gilbert (1964). The Satyricon of Petronius. William Burnaby (translation), Antonio Sotomayor (illustration) (Limited edition of 1,500 numbered copies ed.). New York City, New York: The Heritage Press.

See also

References
  1. "A Finding Aid to the Antonio Sotomayor papers, circa 1920-1988". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  2. "Obituary: Antonio Sotomayor, City's 'Artist Laureate'". San Francisco Chronicle. February 12, 1985.
  3. DuCasse, Micaela (1985). Antonio Sotomayor [1902-19851, Art That Explains. The Regents of the University of California, University of California, Berkeley.
  4. "Emperor Norton in the Artistic Taxonomy of Antonio Sotomayor". The Emperor Norton Trust. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  5. Drewes, Caroline (March 22, 1984). "Tony's Sotomayor's San Francisco Palette". newspapers.com. San Francisco Examiner. p. 139c, 139d. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  6. Hamilton, Mildred (1978-10-15). "An Appreciation of 55 Years of Sotomayor's Art". San Francisco Sunday Examiner. p. 139a.
  7. "Antonio SOTOMAYOR (1904-1985) - Biography". Artprice.com. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  8. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Hofmann. Arthur and Mona. House". United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. 1991-06-21.
  9. "Antonio Sotomayor". FAMSF Collections. 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  10. "Antonio Sotomayor". The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  11. Pena, Michael (2001-11-08). "Grace A. Sotomayor, S.F. cultural luminary". SFGATE. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
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