Wilfredo Chiesa was born in Old San Juan and studied at the School of Plastic Arts of Puerto Rico. He has held over 30 international solo exhibitions and has participated in numerous group shows, including the Sao Paulo Biennial, the Cuenca Biennial, and the Ljubljana Biennial. Chiesa is Professor Emeritus of Art at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He has also taught at Wellesley College as well as at Bennington College, and has been a visiting artist and juror at many other academic institutions.
Chiesa’s works are included in public collections in the United States, Latin America and Europe including those of The Museum of Modern Art, São Paulo, The Museum of Modern Art, Bogotá, La Casa del Libro, San Juan, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Harvard University, The Library of Congress in Washington, The National Library in Paris, The International Print Museum in Fredrickstad, and The Institute for Art and Culture in Catania.
In addition to painting, the artist has worked on limited-edition Artist Books and has also created public site-specific installations in Venice, Italy and New York City, as well as a mural painting commissioned by the School of Law at the University of Puerto Rico, permanently installed in their library's main reading room.
Over the years, Chiesa has worked in Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Ibiza, Sicily, San Juan and Los Angeles.