Painter & Illustrator · New York
Rafael
de la Puente
Acrylic portraits that bring the faces of 1970s and 80s New York back into the present, through color.
View the series
Series · 2025–2026
Portraits after Peter Hujar
Peter Hujar photographed the artists, performers and members of New York's LGBTQ community in the 1970s and 1980s, in black and white. These paintings revisit his portraits in intense color and layered hatching, as an act of preserving queer cultural memory. Several of the people depicted died during the AIDS epidemic.
-
David Wojnarowicz
2025 · Acrylic · 14 × 20 in
-
Ethyl Eichelberger
2025 · Acrylic · 14 × 20 in
-
Susan Sontag
2025 · Acrylic · 14 × 20 in
-
Peter Hujar
2025 · Acrylic · 14 × 20 in
-
John Kelly
2025 · Acrylic · 14 × 20 in
-
Kaz
2026 · Acrylic · 14 × 20 in
Artist statement
Artist statement
“For me, color is both an emotional and a narrative tool.”
My series of acrylic portraits draws on Peter Hujar's black-and-white photographs of artists, performers and members of New York's LGBTQ community during the 1970s and 1980s. I use color to reinterpret these images and explore how we relate to people and stories from the past.
I layer vivid, often unexpected hues through dense fields of hatching. I want the surfaces to feel vibrant and alive, allowing viewers to encounter these figures as close, immediate presences.
Many of the people depicted helped define New York's creative community; several died during the AIDS epidemic. By revisiting their images through painting, I hope to encourage viewers to look closely and discover the lives behind the photographs. I am interested in preserving this cultural memory and exploring how color can make the past feel immediate and personal.
About
Barcelona-born, New York-based
Rafael de la Puente is a Spanish artist born in Barcelona and based in New York City. Working primarily in acrylic painting, ink and drawing, his practice explores memory, identity and history through portraiture, with a particular interest in color as a way of telling stories and conveying emotion.
He has drawn and painted since childhood. After graduating cum laude from Tufts University in Economics and Environmental Studies, he spent seven years in consulting, six of them at PwC. In 2024 he left to move to New York and study Illustration at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) on a Silas H. Rhodes scholarship, giving his practice his full attention.
Alongside painting, he works on narrative illustration, digital media and graphic design. New work and studio process are shared on his Instagram, @rafaeldelapuente.art.
Exhibitions
- 2026 Open Art New York, Mriya Gallery, Tribeca, New York
- 2026 Twisted Vines, SVA Chelsea Gallery, New York
Press
- 2026 ArtistCloseup, Issue 40
Education
- 2028 BFA Illustration, School of Visual Arts (expected)
- 2017 BA Economics & Environmental Studies, Tufts University, cum laude
Contact
Inquiries, commissions & press
For available works, commissions, interviews or high-resolution images, please get in touch.
Diego Félix · Artist development & promotion
Instagram · @rafaeldelapuente.art ↗