Maria Alquilar

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Alquilar's imagery combines the iconography of
primitive cultures to depict the paths to enlightenment. Like many
primitive, outsider painters, Alquilar began her work after the sudden death of her husband that resulted in the fracture of a strong family structure.

Her work, from painting to metal and ceramic sculptures, has received
international attention and accolades in numerous solo and group
exhibitions, and notable commissions in the areas of public and corporate art. She is featured in Who's Who in American Art and both Who's Who of American Women and the World's Who's Who of Women.

She is the only woman
featured in the General Service Administration, Art In Architecture
publication entitled, Our Hispanic Heritage. Selected collections include the Museo Civico (Padova, Italy), National Museum of American Art (Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.and Chase Manhattan Bank's Rockefeller Collection(New York City, NY and Phoenix, AZ), and numerous
major cities Art in Public Places collections.Additionally, in 1990 Alquilar received the U.S. General Services Administration's highest award for her sculpture entitled Bien Venida y Vaya Con Dios (Welcome and Go with God), a multi-tiered altar in ceramic and metal (15' x 7' x 9') installed at the U.S. Border Station in San Luis, AZ.