Jan D'Esopo
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Jan D'Esopo (born c. 1934 in New York City) is a renowned painter and sculptor of Puerto Rican descent.
Jan (born "Janet") D'Esopo's parents moved to the United States from Puerto Rico in search of a better way of life. They first settled in New York City where Jan and her sister Teresa were born. The family later moved to Hartford, Connecticut where Jan and her sister received their primary and secondary education. With the encouragement of their parents, both sisters became interested in the arts as children. In 1943, at the age of nine, Jan won various awards in painting at an exhibition held at the Wadsworth Athenaeum. D'Esposo always spent her summer vacation in Puerto Rico, her ties with her family in the island and the island itself would in the future be reflected in her works of art.
In 1956, she enrolled and attended Bennington College in Vermont. She graduated with majors in painting and sculpture. She also studied at the Yale School of Fine Arts. D'Esposo moved to Puerto Rico where she met and married Manuco Gandia, owner of Puerto Rican thoroughbreds.
In 1961, the couple purchased an eighteenth century Spanish colonial house located on Norzagaray Street in Old San Juan. The couple restored the house, which is now known as "The Galeria Inn", and converted it into a gallery, studio, museum and home. In the gallery, D'Esopo exhibits her works of art and sculptures. The Galeria Inn also has facilities to accommodate between 14 and 250 guests.
D'Esopo developed her own unique style of watercolor painting and in 1985 her paintings were exhibited, with that of other artists from around the world, at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Her bronze monuments are exhibited in front of the Capital Building of Puerto Rico and other public and private buildings.
D'Esopo taught watercolor at the Art Students League in San Juan and founded two art galleries to encourage and promote young artists. She also organized workshops together with her sister Teresa, who is a portrait artist.
Among the publications which have written articles or published the art works of D'Eposo are: The New York Times, Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Chicago Daily News, Colonial Homes, Country Inns, Travel & Leisure, and The American Way Magazine. She has also recorded two educational videos, Landscape Painting: Old San Juan and Bronze is Her Passion.
