You be amazed at what you find in the state. Found this in a small thrift store in Washington. Luis Hernandez Cruz 1965, the painting that was on the Front Page for the “San Juan Review” 1966, plus mention on Marta Trabas Book “Propuesta Polemica, Sobre Arte Puertorriqueña” Page 12.

The signature looks extremely different to the one from 1970 to the present one.   Signature from this period are simple, crisp and easily readable in comparison.

The provenance of this painting is unmatched. San Juan Review used it on their magazine cover in 1966, Marta Traba also wrote about Luis Hernandez Cruz using the magazine edition of March as a reference.  

I’m a firm believer that research is key when constructing a respectable collection, and site like Ebay, Clasificados Online, Craiglist are an excellent source to buy rare pieces. I can only imagine how an important piece like this ended up in a thrift shop. Maybe the former owners passed away and it was left as an inheritance to a family that didn’t realize what was the true value of such painting.

A decent size painting by Luis Hernandez Cruz painting today can cost you between $12,000 dollars up to $25,000 dollars.  I bought this work of art for only $800 dollars in 2017.

Thanks for reading

Joey Medrano MD