Lorenzo Homar, El Libro Ilustrado en Puerto Rico

This poster announces the exhibition The Illustrated Book in Puerto Rico, presented at La Casa del Libro in Old San Juan in connection with the Second Biennial of San Juan in 1972. The design takes the form of an oversized red book, with a black spine carrying part of the exhibition information and the title printed in yellow across the cover. Its simple but highly graphic composition directly reflects the exhibition’s focus on the book as both a literary object and a work of visual design.

La Casa del Libro was established to encourage a deeper appreciation for fine printing, typography, illustration, and bookmaking among artists, printers, students, collectors, and the general public. In 1956, the organization Amigos de la Calle Cristo 255 was formed, and after two years of preparation La Casa del Libro officially opened on April 18, 1958 with a collection of approximately 4,000 valuable books.

The institution became especially important to Puerto Rico’s graphic artists. Lorenzo Homar and other artists associated with the Graphic Arts Workshop developed a close relationship with La Casa del Libro and its director, Elmer Adler, who regularly encouraged them to study the collection. Through this access, artists examined incunabula, early printed books, historic and modern editions, engravings, calligraphy, typography, illustration, and book formats.

These encounters helped strengthen the connection between Puerto Rican printmaking and the long history of the printed book. The exhibition and its poster therefore represent more than a display of illustrated publications; they document the important role La Casa del Libro played in shaping Puerto Rico’s modern graphic culture and in encouraging artists to approach books, typography, and printmaking as interconnected forms of visual art.