Carlos Villa (December 11, 1936 – March 23, 2013) was a Filipino-

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

visual artist, curator and faculty member in the Painting Department at the

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a Private college, private art school, college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mis ...

. His work often explored the meaning of cultural diversity and sought to expand awareness of multicultural issues in the arts.

Early life and education

Carlos Villa was born on December 11, 1936, in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, to immigrant parents in the Tenderloin District. He was introduced to art when taking lessons with

Leo Valledor Leo Valledor (1936 – 1989) was a Filipino-American painter who pioneered the hard-edge painting style. During the 1960s he was a member of the Park Place Gallery in SoHo, New York City, which exhibited many influential and significant artists ...

, who taught him to study etchings by

Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

. Valledor and Villa were close friends and often referred to each other as "cousins" even though they were not related. Villa started to display his work in 1958 and went on to receive a B.F.A. in Education in 1961 from the California School of Fine Arts (now known as San Francisco Art Institute), and a subsequent

M.F.A. degree A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

in painting in 1963 from

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California is part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was relocated to Oakland in ...

. He studied under

Richard Diebenkorn Richard Diebenkorn (April 22, 1922 – March 30, 1993) was an American painter and printmaker. His early work is associated with abstract expressionism and the Bay Area Figurative Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. In the late 1960s he began ...

Elmer Bischoff Elmer Nelson Bischoff (July 9, 1916 – March 2, 1991), was an American visual artist, from the San Francisco Bay Area. Bischoff, along with Richard Diebenkorn and David Park (painter), David Park, was part of the post-World War II generation of ...

Frank Lobdell Frank Lobdell (1921–2013) was an American painter, often associated with the Bay Area Figurative Movement and Bay Area Abstract Expressionism. Life and career Frank Lobdell was born on August 23, 1921, in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in ...

, and Ralph DuCasse.

Art career

In the early 1960s, Villa was associated with the Park Place Gallery Group in New York City and worked as a

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

, focusing on textures. He moved back to San Francisco in 1969, ready to approach his work in a new manner. Villa created multimedia projects and performances that he called "Actions." These were often group collaborations that dealt with multicultural topics. In 1976, Villa curated a multidisciplinary, multiethnic exhibition entitled ''Other Sources: An American Essay'', that showcased work by Bay Area artists of color. This exhibition was an alternative celebration of the

United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic. It was a central event in the memo ...

, and focused on people of color and women. It showcased artists including

Ruth Asawa Ruth Aiko Asawa (January 24, 1926 – August 5, 2013) was an American modernist artist known primarily for her abstract looped-wire sculptures inspired by natural and organic forms. In addition to her three-dimensional work, Asawa created an ext ...

Bernice Bing Bernice Bing (10 April 1936 – 18 August 1998) was a Chinese American lesbian artist involved in the San Francisco Bay Area art scene in the 1960s. She was known for her interest in the Beats and Zen Buddhism, and for the "calligraphy-inspi ...

Rolando Castellón Rolando Castellón, also known as Rolando Dionisio Castellón-Alegria (born 1937) is a Nicaraguan American painter, author, art historian, and curator. He was a well-known contributor to the arts of San Francisco, California and he has lived in Co ...

Claude Clark Claude Clark (November 11, 1915 – April 21, 2001) was an American Painting, painter, Printmaking, printmaker and art educator. Clark's subject matter was the diaspora of African American culture, including dance scenes, Street children, stree ...

Robert Colescott Robert H. Colescott (August 26, 1925 – June 4, 2009) was an American Painting, painter. He is known for Satire, satirical genre and crowd subjects, often conveying his exuberant, comical, or bitter reflections on being African American. He stud ...

, Frank Day,

Rupert García Rupert García (born in 1941), is an American Chicano visual artist, and educator. He is known as a painter, pastellist, and screen printer. In the 1960s, he led a Chicano movement against 'Yankee' culture through the production and use of poster ...

, Mike Henderson, Oliver Lee Jackson,

Frank LaPena Frank Raymond LaPena, also known as Frank LaPeña and by his Wintu name Tauhindauli (1937 – 2019), was a Nomtipom-Wintu American Indian painter, printmaker, ethnographer, professor, ceremonial dancer, poet, and writer. He taught at California Sta ...

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George Longfish George Chester Longfish (born August 22, 1942) is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations artist, professor, and museum director. His art work blends Pop art with Indigenous motifs, and often features Assemblage (art), assemblage. Many of his wor ...

Ralph Maradiaga Ralph Maradiaga (1934–1985) was an American artist, curator, photographer, printmaker, teacher, and filmmaker. He was Chicano, one of the co-founders of Galería de la Raza and part of the San Francisco Bay Area Chicano Art Movement. Biograph ...

José Montoya José Montoya (May 28, 1932 – September 25, 2013) was a poet and an artist from Sacramento, California. He was one of the most influential Chicano bilingual poets. He has published many well-known poems in anthologies and magazines, and served ...

Manuel Neri Manuel John Neri Jr. (April 12, 1930October 18, 2021) was an American sculptor who is recognized for his life-size figurative sculptures in plaster, bronze, and marble. In Neri's work with the figure, he conveys an emotional inner state that is re ...

, Mary Lovelace O'Neal, Darryl Sapien, Raymond Saunders,

James Hiroshi Suzuki James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince James ...

, Horace Washington, Al Wong,

René Yañez René Yañez (19 September 1942 – 29 May 2018) was a Mexican-American painter, Assemblage (art), assemblage artist, performance artist, curator and community activist located in San Francisco, California. He was a well-known contributor to the a ...

. Live performances by Winston and Mary Tong,

Mark Izu Mark Izu (September 30, 1954 – January 12, 2025) was an American jazz double bass player and composer. He was of sansei (third-generation) Japanese ancestry and frequently combined jazz with Asian traditional musics (particularly the ancient Japa ...

and Ray Robles, poetry readings by

Janice Mirikitani Janice Mirikitani (February 5, 1941 – July 29, 2021) was an American poet and activist who resided in the San Francisco Bay Area for most of her adult life. She managed the Glide Memorial Church with her husband, Cecil Williams. She was note ...

Jessica Hagedorn Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn (born May 29, 1949) is an American playwright, writer, poet, and multimedia performance artist. Biography Hagedorn is an of mixed descent. She was born in Manila, Philippines, to a mother of Scots-Irish, French, and Fil ...

, and Al Robles, and numerous others. In 1985, he had a retrospective exhibition, ''Carlos Villa:1961–1984'', held at the C.N. Gorman Museum (now Gorman Museum of Native American Art), and at the Memorial Union Art Gallery at the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

. In 1995, Villa published ''Worlds in Collision'', a book on

multiculturalism Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''Pluralism (political theory), ethnic'' or cultura ...

in the arts. The contents were transcriptions of presentations and discussions held during the San Francisco Art Institute's symposia series entitled ''Sources of a Distinct Majority (1989-1991)''. The ''Worlds In Collision'' project continued in subsequent symposia, web projects and courses until 2013. In 2010, Villa organized ''Rehistoricizing Abstract Expressionism in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1950s-1960s'', a web project, symposium and exhibition at the

Luggage Store Gallery The Luggage Store Gallery, also known as 509 Cultural Center, is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary arts organization founded in 1987, and has two venues located in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The organization has sp ...

that focused attention on contributions by women and artists of color (primarily abstract expressionist painters) that were overlooked by art history. In 2011, Villa had a solo retrospective of his work entitled ''Manongs, Some Doors and a Bouquet of Crates'' at the

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) is an arts nonprofit that was founded in 1977, and is located at 2868 Mission Street in the Mission District, San Francisco, Mission District in San Francisco, California. They provide art studio spa ...

in San Francisco. In 2020, Villa was part of the group exhibition ''Prospect.5: Yesterday We Said Tomorrow'' at

Prospect New Orleans Prospect New Orleans is a multi-venue contemporary art event in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Prospect.1 "Prospect.1 New Orleans" ran from November 2008 to January 2009. Conceived in the tradition of the international biennials, such as the Ven ...

. He was also the subject of the book ''Carlos Villa and the Integrity of Spaces'' (Meritage Press, 2011) an anthology of essays about his work and influence edited by Theodore S. Gonzalves, featuring essays and poetry by Bill Berkson, David A.M. Goldberg, Theodore S. Gonzalves, Mark Dean Johnson, Margo Machida, and Moira Roth.

Teaching

Villa was a faculty member in the Painting Department at the San Francisco Art Institute where he started teaching in 1969. In the 1970s, Villa taught at

California State University, Sacramento California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California, United States. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is part of the California State Universit ...

. Some of his former students include Paul Pfeiffer, Michael Arcega,

Kehinde Wiley Kehinde Wiley (born February 28, 1977) leaving Freddie to raise the couple's six children on her own. 3/sup> Wiley has said that his family survived on welfare checks and the limited income earned by his mother's "thrift store"—which consiste ...

, and

Barry McGee Barry McGee (born 1966) is an American artist. He is known for graffiti art, and a pioneer of the Mission School art movement. McGee is known by his monikers: Twist, Ray Fong, Bernon Vernon, and P.Kin. Life and education Barry McGee was born in ...

Death

Villa died March 23, 2013, in San Francisco, from cancer and is survived by his wife, Mary Valledor, daughter Sydney and stepson Rio Valledor. Mary's first husband and the father of Rio was Leo Valledor, Carlos' cousin.

Exhibitions

* 1977 – ''Look, Touch, Rub, Pull, Smell, and Hear'', included Carlos Villa, Chisato Nishioka Watanabe, Phil Weidman, , Phil Hitchcock, Jock Reynold, Laureen Landau,

Sylvia Lark Sylvia Lark (1947–1990) was a Native American/ Seneca visual artist, curator, and educator. She best known as an abstract expressionist painter and printmaker. Lark lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for many years. Early life and education ...

, William Maxwell, Bruce Guttin, Paul DeMarinis, and Jim Pomeroy, Artspace, Sacramento, California * 1985 – ''Carlos Villa: 1961–1984'', solo retrospective, C.N. Gorman Museum and at the Memorial Union Art Gallery,

* 1987 – ''The Ethnic Idea'', curated by Andrée Maréchal-Workman, including Lauren Adams,

, Dewey Crumpler,

Mildred Howard Mildred Howard (born 1945) is an African-American artist known primarily for her sculptural installation and mixed-media assemblages.Baker, Kenneth"Artist Intrigued by Interaction of Materials, Ability to Revise at Will", ''San Francisco Chronic ...

, Oliver Lee Jackson, Mary Lovelace O'Neal, Joe Sam, Elisabeth Zeilon,

Tom Holland Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award, he featured on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list of 2019. Some publications have called him one of the most ...

, Celeste Conner,

Jean LaMarr Jean LaMarr (born 1945) is a Northern Paiute/Achomawi artist and activist from California. She creates murals, prints, dioramas, sculptures, and interactive installations. She is an enrolled citizen of the Susanville Indian Rancheria. Early life ...

, Leta Ramos, Judy Foosaner, Joseph Goldyne, Belinda Chlouber, Carlos Villa, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, California * 2022 – ''Carlos Villa: Worlds in Collision'' (solo exhibition),

San Francisco Arts Commission The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) is the City agency that champions the arts as essential to daily life by investing in a vibrant arts community, enlivening the urban environment and shaping innovative cultural policy in San Francisco, Cal ...

Main Gallery, War Memorial Veterans Building, San Francisco, California * 2022 – ''Carlos Villa: Roots and Reinvention'' (solo exhibition), Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, California

Awards

* 1959 – Honorable Mention,

Richmond Art Center Richmond Art Center is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit arts organization based in Richmond, California, founded in 1936. History In 1936, Richmond-resident Hazel Salmi began teaching classes under the Emergency Education Program (EEP) of the ...

, Richmond, California, * 1973 –

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

Grant, * 1973 –

Adaline Kent Adaline Dutton Kent or Adaline Kent Howard, (August 7, 1900 – March 24, 1957) was an American sculptor from California. She created abstract sculptures with forms inspired by the natural landscape. Early life and education Kent was born on ...

Award, San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), San Francisco, California, * 1987, 2000 – Guest Artist,

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome, Italy. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History 19th century In 1893, a group of American architect ...

, Rome, Italy, * 1989 – Distinguished Alumni Award, San Francisco Art Institute, * 1997 –

Pollock-Krasner Foundation The Pollock-Krasner Foundation was established in 1985 for the purpose of providing funding to visual artists internationally to further their artistic practices. It was established at the bequest of Lee Krasner, who was an American abstract expr ...

Award, * 1998 – Flintridge Foundation Grant, * 2000 – Pamana Award, Filipino American Art Exposition, * 2012 –

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

, Creative Arts, Fine Arts.

References

External links

Carlos Villa's official website (artist estate website)

Website for the exhibition, ''Rehistoricizing Abstract Expressionism in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1950s-1960s''

Oral History interview with Carlos Villa, June 20-July 10, 1995
from the

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washing ...

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villa, Carlos 1936 births Artists from San Francisco American artists of Filipino descent 2013 deaths Mills College alumni San Francisco Art Institute faculty San Francisco Art Institute alumni California State University, Sacramento faculty Funk art movement artists American artists of Filipino descent in California