In 1969, Paraguayan-born printmaker Juan Trepadori burst on the scene of New York’s thriving art market, and became an instant success. His prints were exhibited in galleries and sold robustly, with multiples being churned out to meet the demand.
But by late 1970, he disappeared into thin air. Less than two years after his splashy entry into the art scene, his flow of work dried up, and he was never heard from again.
In the short documentary What Happened to Juan Trepadori? we will revisit this long-lingering mystery whispered in the art world, and share it with a new audience. We’ll weave together lively interactions with celebrated artists, and rich archival images from the 1960s, in a tone that is investigative yet playful, and quintessentially New York.
Juan Trepadori was born in Asunción, Paraguay in 1939. A stunning music prodigy, he became a concert pianist at an early age, and moved to Lisbon with his family at age 15 to further his professional career. But at 19, a tragic car accident killed his parents, and left him paralyzed from the waist down, unable to ever play the piano again. He became reclusive, passing time by teaching himself to paint. In 1967, after taking a printmaking course by mail, he had found his next creative outlet. He set up a printmaking studio to accommodate his wheelchair, and got to work.
By 1969, Trepadori had produced dozens of print plates. He connected with the New York Graphic Workshop (NYGW), a printmaking collective founded by three expat Latin American artists, and shipped them to New York. The NYGW printed them for him and found him a dealer -- his bright and playful pieces sold as quickly as they could produce them, though they stood in sharp contrast to his dark, isolated life.
Grateful for his success, Trepadori donated a quarter of his earnings to the NYGW, who in turn gave grants to struggling Latin American artists in New York, and scholarships to printmaking students. But despite his success, Trepadori never overcame his aversion to the world, and turned down all invitations for public appearances. He only communicated through a New York P.O. box — and a bank account.
That’s because he never really existed.
The truth is, the artist Juan Trepadori was the collective invention of the three founding members of the New York Graphic Workshop — Liliana Porter from Argentina, Luis Camnitzer from Uruguay, and José Guillermo Castillo from Venezuela.
Bored by the constrictions of fine art printmaking, and disgusted by the art market that favored commerciality over creative innovation, Juan Trepadori was their act of resistance and artistic rebellion. They duped the market by creating and selling Trepadori’s accessible, colorful work - and his tragic mythology - in order to support themselves and other immigrant artists in New York struggling to break through.
With Juan Trepadori, the New York Graphic Workshop found a vehicle to sustain themselves by creating profitable commercial art, while simultaneously mocking the art system that supported it.
The artists disbanded the NYGW in late 1970, leaving Juan Trepadori behind. Each went on to long and impressive careers as artists and educators. Castillo passed away in 1999, but Porter and Camnitzer remain active and prolific almost 60 years later.
They didn’t publicly reveal the truth about Trepadori until NYGW’s first major retrospective in 2008.
The Juan Trepadori story is an immigrant story, it is a playful story, it is a very New York story. It is a story as relevant as ever, as economic censorship once again challenges artists’ originality and public access. And it is a story we are excited to be bringing to you soon....but we need your help.
The crafting of What Happened to Juan Trepadori? will begin with the filming of the artists Liliana Porter and Luis Camnitzer in November. We anticipate a high profile premiere in 2027 that will share this story with the world, and launch us into the international film market — and the spirited conversations that follow.
To accomplish this, WE ARE SEEKING 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS to reach our immediate funding goal of $30,000 (and ultimately our budget of $150,000). This is possible through our fiscal sponsor New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT), a long-standing non-profit membership organization supporting women in film and television. You donate to them, they fund us!
Whether your gift is $1 or $1,000, $50 or $5,000, we are grateful for your support, and will recognize it with a thank you on screen. (Producer Credits are available for contributions over $25,000. Please reach out!)
Please click here to make your gift online, or contact us for additional options.