Charles Biasiny-Riviera ’90: Remembering a Photographer Who Documented Latino Life

Charles Biasiny-Riviera ’90, a street photographer who went on to dedicate his career to elevating the photography and art of underrepresented artists, has died at the age of 93.

Biasiny-Riviera passed away on August 10 at his home in Olivebridge, NY. His wife Betty Wilde-Biasiny is an artist and professor of visual arts at Empire State University.

Biasiny-Riviera, a New Yorker of Puerto Rican descent, founded En Foco in 1974, as a collective of Puerto Rican photographers. The organization produced exhibitions, publications, and public events focused on showcasing the culturally diverse imagery emerging from the enclaves and neighborhoods of New York City. He served as the executive director for 35 years.

Over time, En Foco grew to encompass the photography and art of other underrepresented groups. In 1985, Biasiny-Riviera launched Nueva Luz, an innovative photographic journal that promoted the works of diverse photographers, including Dawoud Bey ’90.

In 2004, Biasiny-Riviera received the Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture from Mayor Michael Bloomberg for "his outstanding contribution to cultural life in New York City."

Biasiny-Riviera learned photography and darkroom printing while serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. In the 1960s, he worked as a photographic assistant for the renowned celebrity photographer Cecil Beaton during the 1960s.

Biasiny-Riviera earned his B.A. in photography and Latin American studies from Empire State University, in 1990. By the 1990s, he was creating composites of black-and-white photographs that he hand colored and embellished with intricate borders.

“Charlie's work grew artistically in his use of photography within a mixed media format, while in turn, I became more interested in photography through digital printmaking,” says Wilde-Biasiny.” Our life together was enriched by the environment we shared, from the Hudson Valley to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the many connections we have felt with the Empire State community.”

Public collections of his works can be found in several museums and galleries, including El Museo del Barrio in New York City; the Lehigh University Art Gallery in Lehigh, PA; and the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico, in Santurce; and Lightworks, Syracuse, New York.

In addition to Betty, his wife of nearly 40 years, he is survived by his daughters Amelia and Nikola as well as two grandchildren.

Read his obit in The New York Times.

(Photo credit: Anita Sillery '19)