Art

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1992.37.7_1b.jpg (74408 bytes)Alexander Maldonado
Untitled (Futuristic City)
1976
oil
23 7/8 x 35 7/8 in.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of David L. Davies



At age sixty, facing retirement, Maldonado began painting futuristic cityscapes of a world free of pollution, bigotry, even parking problems. He had seen Halley's comet as a child in Mexico, before his family immigrated to California, and dreamed of a world beyond earth. However, the untimely death of his father forced him to leave school, and he worked, first as a newsboy, later as a riveter, a shipping clerk, and as a professional boxer named "Frankie Baker." Only after his sister suggested a hobby and bought paints did Maldonado launch his second career for which he became nationally known.



A los sesenta años, próximo ya a la jubilación, Maldonado empezó a pintar panoramas de ciudades futuristas de un mundo libre de contaminación, intolerancia, e incluso problemas de estacionamiento. De niño, en México, había visto el cometa Halley antes que su familia emigrase a California, y soñaba con un mundo más allá de los confines terrestres. No obstante, la prematura muerte de su padre le obligó a abandonar la escuela y a trabajar, primero, de repartidor de periódicos, y más tarde de remachador, expedidor, y boxeador profesional bajo el nombre de "Frankie Baker". Sólo después de que su hermana le aconsejó pintar como pasatiempo y le compró pinturas, inició Maldonado su segunda carrera, que le dio fama nacional.

 

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Revised: January 17, 2002
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