In 1974, Germán Rieckehoff Sampayo, president of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, selected celebrated Puerto Rican artist and printmaker Lorenzo Homar as the official artist for the VIII Pan American Games, held in Puerto Rico in 1979. Homar was commissioned to design the Games’ logos, posters, and medals, giving the event a unified visual identity rooted in modern Puerto Rican graphic design.
For the individual sports symbols, Homar carefully studied the rules, movements, uniforms, and equipment associated with each discipline. This research allowed him to reduce complex athletic actions into clear, dynamic visual forms. His approach reflected both his mastery of printmaking and his broader interest in transforming functional design into art.
When the Games committee was unable to complete the printing of the poster series, Harry Ramírez of Ramírez Commercial Arts acquired the franchise in 1979 to produce the works under the supervision of Luis Abraham Ortiz. Homar ultimately created a portfolio of 15 posters representing athletics, soccer, basketball, baseball, boxing, cycling, diving, gymnastics, judo, wrestling, swimming and related aquatic sports, tennis, sailing, and volleyball.
The series is significant not only as a record of an important international sporting event in Puerto Rico, but also as an example of Homar’s ability to merge athletic movement, institutional identity, and fine-art printmaking into a cohesive body of work.
In 1974, Germán Rieckehoff Sampayo, president of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee, selected celebrated Puerto Rican artist and printmaker Lorenzo Homar as the official artist for the VIII Pan American Games, held in Puerto Rico in 1979. Homar was commissioned to design the Games’ logos, posters, and medals, giving the event a unified visual identity rooted in modern Puerto Rican graphic design.
For the individual sports symbols, Homar carefully studied the rules, movements, uniforms, and equipment associated with each discipline. This research allowed him to reduce complex athletic actions into clear, dynamic visual forms. His approach reflected both his mastery of printmaking and his broader interest in transforming functional design into art.
When the Games committee was unable to complete the printing of the poster series, Harry Ramírez of Ramírez Commercial Arts acquired the franchise in 1979 to produce the works under the supervision of Luis Abraham Ortiz. Homar ultimately created a portfolio of 15 posters representing athletics, soccer, basketball, baseball, boxing, cycling, diving, gymnastics, judo, wrestling, swimming and related aquatic sports, tennis, sailing, and volleyball.
The series is significant not only as a record of an important international sporting event in Puerto Rico, but also as an example of Homar’s ability to merge athletic movement, institutional identity, and fine-art printmaking into a cohesive body of work.