Juan A. Martínez papers
name: label: Creator
content: Martínez, Juan A.
label: Names
content: Brito, María (1947-)
label: Names
content: Llinás, Guido
topic: label: Occupation
content: Art historians -- Florida -- Miami
label: Occupation
content: Educators -- Florida -- Miami
label: Topic
content: Cuban American artists
label: Topic
content: Latin American artists
label: Topic
content: Cuban art
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated in 2023 by Patricia Wiesen, Martinez's widow.
creator: label: Creator
content: Martínez, Juan A.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Juan A. Martínez papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of art historian and educator Juan A. Martínez measure 1.8 linear feet and date from 1927 to 2017. The papers document Martínez's career as an art historian through correspondence, writings, materials related to his book on Carlos Enríquez, records of other professional activities, printed material, and a few photographs.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Juan A. Martínez (1951-2020) was an art historian and educator in Miami, Florida known for his study of American artists of the Cuban diaspora. 

Born in Jaruco, Cuba, in 1951 Martínez emigrated to the United States in 1966 and completed his doctoral studies in art history at Florida State University. He taught at Miami-Dade Community College before becoming a professor of art history at Florida International University. During his time as an educator, author, and curator, Martínez established and encouraged the scholarly foundations for the study of American art of the Cuban diaspora. He was credited with being the first to recognize the importance of the Los Once (The Eleven) group of artists and organized an exhibition of the group, focusing particularly on artist Guido Llinás. 

Martínez authored books and catalogs on artists including Maria Brito and Carlos Enriquez. He died in 2020.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1.8 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1927-2017
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.martjuan
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Interviews
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 6 series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1985-2013 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Writings, 1958-2011 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 3: Carlos Enriquez Book Project, 1927-2015 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)

Series 4: Professional Activity Files, 1942-2017 (0.65 linear feet; boxes 2-3)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1943-2014 (0.1 linear feet; Box 3)

Series 6: Photographs, circa 1930s-circa 2000 (0.05 linear feet; Box 3)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2023.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2025 and is available on the Archives of American Art website. Materials which have not been digitized include blank pages, blank versos of photographs, and duplicates. In some cases, exhibition catalogs and other publications have only had their covers, title pages, and relevant pages digitized.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of art historian and educator Juan A. Martínez measure 1.8 linear feet and date from 1927 to 2017. The papers document Martínez's career as an art historian through correspondence, writings, materials related to his book on Carlos Enríquez, records of other professional activities, printed material, and a few photographs.

Correspondence is with friends, colleagues, clients, and art institutions and is both personal and professional. A portion of the correspondence pertains to Martínez's research on Carlos Enríquez, Maria Brito, and other Cuban artists. Also included is a file of greetng cards.

Writings consist of notes and draft articles, essays, and a thesis by Martínez. Writings relate to artists including  Wilfredo Lam, Antonia Eiriz, and Amelia Pelaez.

Records related to Martínez's book Carlos Enríquez: The Painter
of Cuban Ballads, consist primarily of Martinez's research material for the project, including copies of articles and other published sources, many of which are annotated and include notes by Martínez. Also found are permissions to publish artwork in the book, reviews of the book, exhibition catalogs of Enríquez's exhibitions, and some photographs of Enríquez's works. Note that there are no draft manuscripts or copies of the book within the collection.

Professional material documents Martínez's other professional activities including serving on advisory boards, lecturing and curating, and teaching at Miami-Dade Community College and Florida International University. Also found are subject files related primarily to Cuban art including on the Los Once group which includes correspondence with Guido Llinás. One file related to A Ver, a publication of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, includes correspondence and interviews with Maria Brito. A few printed material files include publications and clippings on the Cuban Museum of Arts and Culture and photographs are of artwork, an exhibition, and unidentified individuals with art.