Raphael Montañez Ortiz

Raphael Montañez Ortiz is an American artist, educator, and founder of El Museo del Barrio, a cultural institution in New York City dedicated to Latino, Caribbean, and Latin American art.

Raphael Montañez Ortiz is known for his contribution to the deconstructivist movement in art. His work often involves taking everyday objects and deconstructing them in order to explore their underlying cultural and social meanings. He has also been known to engage in performance art, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, which often involved acts of destruction or dismantling of various objects or structures.

Montañez Ortiz's work often engages with his personal experiences as a Puerto Rican living in the United States, as well as broader social and political issues related to race, identity, and cultural heritage. His work has been exhibited widely, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Venice Biennale.