José Sancho
Artist Main source profile ↗
Why this artist is listed
We list an artist when at least one of these is quoted from a source. Each is a separate claim, shown only as the source states it.
- Born in Costa Rica Quoted below
He was born on April 18, 1935 in the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
- Residence in Costa Rica, as the source records it Not stated by our sources
- Has exhibited in Costa Rica Quoted below
in the year 1974, in the Gardens of the National Theater, in San José, he carried out his first sculpture exhibition based on assemblages made from pieces of scrap metal.
Our reading written by Costa Rica Artists
José Sancho, born in 1935, held his first sculpture exhibition in 1974, of assemblages made from scrap metal, and left his career as an economist for sculpture in 1982.
The museum text lists his materials as wood, granite, marble, bronze, iron plate and found objects, and his recurring subjects as animal forms and the feminine, with nature as the starting point. Public work includes a granite piece from 1996 and a sculpture walk of nine donated pieces opened in 2014.
Our summary of the quotes on this page. It adds no facts of its own.
Media named in the quotes below Sculpture
Practice and materials
Sancho masterfully uses different media: wood, granite, marble, bronze, iron plates, and found objects allow the artist to recreate the animal forms and the infinite representations of femininity.
nature is always the most essential starting point.
Training and life
He was born on April 18, 1935 in the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
1982 was a critical year because he abandoned his career as an economist and dedicated himself completely to sculpture.
Exhibitions, prizes and collections
in the year 1974, in the Gardens of the National Theater, in San José, he carried out his first sculpture exhibition based on assemblages made from pieces of scrap metal.
1985, National Award Aquileo Echeverría in Plastic Arts awarded by the Ministry of Culture of Costa Rica.
1997, “Grand Prize” for the work Flora and Fauna at the 3rd Biennial of Sculpture convened by the Costa Rican Beer Factory.
In 2011 the exhibition Form and Essence took place in the Museums of the Central Bank, Plaza de la Cultura, which showed his trajectory in the exercise of sculptural art.
On August 20, 2014, the Sculpture Promenade was inaugurated at the University of Costa Rica, which houses a donation of nine pieces on the animalistic theme done in granite, iron and marble.
In 1996 he produced the work Epitome of Flight in granite that is installed in the “Plaza de la Libertad Electoral” in the Supreme Court of Elections, in the city of San José.
Sources for this profile
- Story of José Sancho’s Life (Pera Museum blog), Pera Museum, Istanbul. Our check: October 19, 2026.
- José Sancho artist talk (Pera Museum), Pera Museum, Istanbul. Our check: October 19, 2026.
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Other artists listed for sculpture
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