MISSION & HISTORY
The Antonio Archives is dedicated to preserving and promoting the work and legacy of Antonio Lopez and Juan Ramos, and to celebrating their substantial contribution to the fields of art, fashion, and design.
The collection is comprised of thousands of original works on paper, photographs, tear sheets, journals, and ephemera from their time working in New York, Paris, and beyond.
The scope and depth of the Archives’ collection is due to Juan’s diligent documentation and conservation of his and Antonio's collaborative career from its start in 1961 until Antonio's death from complications related to AIDS in 1987.
Juan preserved and administered this legacy until his own death from complications related to AIDS in 1995. The Estate of Antonio Lopez and Juan Ramos has been administered since by Paul Caranicas, an artist and Juan’s partner of 24 years.
The Antonio Archives regularly loans works to a range of commercial and public institutions, contributes to books, magazines, and scholarly publications, and participates in select partnerships.
Please get in touch via our Contact page or by writing to us directly at info@theantonioarchives.com
Antonio Lopez and Juan Ramos, Paris, c. 1968. Photo by Harold Chapman
“I am interested in getting to know the figure better by taking it apart. The more I break it, the more I can examine it, the more I can understand what I have to do. For me it is a method. I don’t know where it will bring me, but I am curious and I want to go until the end”
— Antonio Lopez
TIMELINE
1942
Juan Ramos is born in Caguas, Puerto Rico on January 4th.
1943
Antonio Lopez is both in Utuado, Puerto Rico on February 11th.
1950s
Juan’s family relocates to Spanish Harlem where he attends Seward High School.
Antonio’s family relocates to the Bronx where he attends P.S. 77. He is later encouraged by his art teacher to enroll at the High School of Arts and Design, an incubator for teenagers who demonstrate exceptional artistic talent.
1961
Antonio and Juan enroll at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City where they study fashion design and interior design, respectively. As students they meet for the first time and begin a romantic relationship.
1962
Antonio is offered an internship at Women’s Wear Daily and soon becomes the in-house illustrator. He simultaneously begins freelance work for The New York Times.
Juan works part-time for milliner Lilly Daché and choreographer Alwin Nikolai. He begins to act as Antonio’s art director, influencing the drawings with his deep knowledge of art history, color theory, and spatial design.
The duo drop out of FIT without completing their degrees in order to pursue their professional interests, They move into an apartment on 13th street between 6th and 7th Avenue where they live and work.
1963
Antonio and Juan move into the famed Carnegie Hall Studios.
Now working as a duo under the signature “Antonio” their growing client list includes Harper’s Bazaar, Elle Magazine, and Saks Fifth Avenue. The pair become a fixture of Manhattan’s art and fashion scene, dancing at Electric Circus, hanging out at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, and spending late nights at Max’s Kansas City. They scout new models in NYC’s thriving scene who begin to appear in their editorial work (Donna Jordan, Jane Forth, Corey Tippin, Pat Cleveland).
In addition to their illustration work, Antonio and Juan begin to explore product design. They produce a jewelry line for Napier and create hundreds of unrealized conceptual clothing and accessory designs.
1965 - 1968
Antonio and Juan’s romantic relationship ends but their professional partnership continues.
They travel to Paris on assignment for Elle Magazine on numerous occasions in the late 1960s and expand their careers in Japan with the help of Japanese-based curator and agent Charles Manzo and writer Nao Oishi.
1966
Antonio and Juan begin to work with Charles James, the English-American fashion designer who is renowned for his highly sculptural and structured garments. They recognized his skill as one of the great American designers and began documenting his clothes and drawings at James’ studio in the Chelsea Hotel. Their collaboration lasts until Charles James’ death in 1978.
1968
Tiring of the confines of the American fashion establishment, Antonio and Juan relocate full-time to Paris where the live in an apartment on the Left Bank owned by Karl Lagerfeld, a friend and collaborator.
In the summers to follow, Antonio, Juan, Karl, Donna Jordan, Corey Tippin, and Pat Cleveland took annual vacations to Karl’s rented homes in St. Tropez.
1970 - 1975
Antonio and Juan’s career enters a new phase of global visibility as they begin to regularly contribute to leading international publications such as Italian Vogue, German Vogue, French Vogue, Marie Claire, Soen Magazine, and Depeche Mode, in addition to taking on many high-profile commercial clients such as Yves Saint Laurent, Maison de Bonnetterie, Shiseido and Laforet.
Antonio and Juan travel extensively throughout Europe and Japan and meet a host of new women who become their models and muses, including Jerry Hall, Paloma Picasso, Grace Jones, Jessica Lange, Sayoko and Tina Chow.
In France, Antonio, Juan, and their diverse entourage provide a stark contrast to the stuffiness that had previously defined French fashion. Their pioneering choice of models of color, camp posturing, and irreverence for outdated institutions ushered in a new era of modernity.
1971
Antonio and Juan meet Paul Caranicas, a student at the École des Beaux-Arts and a DJ at Le Bureau. He and Juan begin a romantic relationship that lasts until Juan’s passing in 1995.
1972
Antonio begins experimenting with photography using a Kodak Instamatic camera and Polaroid SX-70.
1975
Antonio, Juan, and Paul move back to New York City and into a large studio on Broadway and 18th street next to Andy Warhol’s Factory. Andy and Antonio, each trained as fashion illustrators, have a mutual respect and interest in each other’s work. Andy invites Antonio and Juan to art direct two editions of Interview Magazine: the “Puerto Rico Issue” in February 1975 and the “April in Paris” issue in April 1975. In the 1980s the two exchange portraits of each other.
1976
Antonio and Juan consult for Fiorucci, the new-wave high-concept retail store on East 59th street. They art direct window displays and introduce new designers to the store’s buyers.
1977
Studio 54 opens in New York City. Antonio and Juan design athleisure inspired costumes for the opening night performance by the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, choreographed by Kay Thompson.
1978
Antonio moves to 23rd street.
Juan and Paul move into their own live/work space on Union Square West, half of which is the new studio. Antonio and Juan form Anuan Ltd., a limited company that represents their joint creative collaboration.
Antonio and Juan find influence in the aesthetics of break dancing which is proliferating on the streets and subways of New York City. They regularly invite the Rock Steady Crew and others from Harlem and downtown into their studio to pose.
Antonio and Juan take a profound interest in teaching and conduct live drawing classes and seminars at universities and institutions around the world,, including the Fashion Institute of Technology (New York), Otis College of Art and Design (Los Angeles), Kent State (Ohio), Bunke College (Tokyo), and Altos de Chavon (D.R.). Juan continues to document his and Antonio’s work with the intent to use it as a teaching guide for future students.
1980s
Antonio and Juan expand their clients to include Versace, Armani, Missoni, and more.
After years of commercial success, the pair turn their attention towards their personal practice and generate a large body of portraiture work throughout the 1980s.
1980 - 1983
Italian Creative Director Anna Piaggi invites Antonio and Juan to helm the newly founded avant-garde publication Vanity. The pair travel to Milan regularly from 1980-1983 where they create some of the most boundary-defying work of their career.
1982
Antonio and Juan publish Antonio’s Girls, a compendium of drawings from 1973-1981.
1984
Antonio is diagnosed with HIV but continues to work for select designers including Oscar de la Renta and Norma Kamali. He continues his personal exploration of portraiture with a focus on the male subject.
1985
Antonio and Juan illustrate “Antonio’s Tales from the Thousand and One Nights” a richly designed book inspired by the stories of the Arabian Nights.
1986
Antonio and Juan meet Joelle Chariau, a partner of the Munich-based gallery Bartsch & Chariau. She works with them to position their practice within the art world and remains a life-long friend organizing exhibitions in the decades to follow.
1987
Antonio, Juan, and Paul travel to Los Angeles to open the exhibition Antonio Lopez at Robert Berman Gallery. While in California Antonio passes away from complications related to AIDS at Cedars Sinai Hospital. He was 44 years old.
Juan begin a collaboration with Hispanic Designers President Penny Harrison to organize their annual Gala, a celebration of Hispanic excellence across art, history, creativity, and cultural heritage. He works with her until his death to advance the non-profit’s mission.
1990
In collaboration with curators Katell Le Bourhis and Pamela Golbin, Juan organizes the travelling exhibition Antonio 60-70-80: Three Decades on Style.
1992
Juan is diagnosed with HIV.
1994
Antonio 60-70-80: A Retrospective begins its three year, five city tour to Musée de la Mode et du Textile, Palais du Louvre (Paris, France), Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe (Hamburg, Germany), Modmuseum (Munich, Germany), Musee des Arts Decoratifs (Lausanne, Switzerland) and the Royal College of Art (London)
1995
Juan publishes Antonio 60-70-80: Three Decades of Fashion Illustration to accompany the traveling exhibition.
Juan Ramos dies from complications related to AIDS at his home at 31 Union Square West. He was 53 years old.
