From the toad Concho to the San Pedrito: Quique Rivera opens his first major Puerto Rico exhibit since his return

Inside the galleries of the Museo de los Santos y Arte Nacional (MUSAN), in Santurce, a small, brightly colored bird became the narrator of everyday Puerto Rican life this week. Puerto Rican sculptor Quique Rivera, known for years as the creator of the toad character Concho, unveiled "Anecdotas de un San Pedrito," a collection of sculptural pieces that use the San Pedrito bird as a witness to everyday scenes on the island ¹. According to El Nuevo Dia, it is his first major solo exhibit in Puerto Rico since he actively returned to the plastic arts in 2021 ¹².

The exhibit, now open in Santurce, was covered in a feature article, a photo gallery and a video by El Nuevo Dia between October 2 and October 4, right this week ¹²³. In the pieces, the San Pedrito — described in the coverage as "a charming bird" — is placed inside scenes of Puerto Rican daily life, giving each sculpture a folk-humor tone that Rivera had already explored years earlier with Concho, the toad character that became part of the visual memory of several generations on the island ³.

Context

Quique Rivera is not a new name in Puerto Rican art. His work with the toad Concho made him a recognizable figure both inside and outside traditional gallery circuits, with a character that combined sculpture and humor to speak about everyday island life ³. After a period away from the plastic arts spotlight, Rivera resumed his production in 2021, and since then has been building a new body of work that now culminates in this exhibit dedicated to the San Pedrito ¹².

The choice of the San Pedrito is no accident. It is one of the most beloved and recognizable birds in Puerto Rico's natural landscape, present in the island's popular imagination for generations, and Rivera uses it in this series as a kind of silent observer of the anecdotes, customs and small scenes that make up daily Puerto Rican life ¹². MUSAN, a museum dedicated to santos art and national art located in Santurce, is hosting this new artistic stage for the sculptor ¹.

The numbers

2021 — the year Quique Rivera actively returned to the plastic arts in Puerto Rico, after a period away from galleries ¹².

1st — according to the coverage, this is his first major solo exhibition on the island since that return ¹².

3 — pieces of coverage (a feature article, a photo gallery and a video) that El Nuevo Dia dedicated to the exhibit in just the first week of October 2026, a sign of the interest the opening generated ¹²³.

Santurce — the neighborhood where MUSAN is located, a museum that houses the exhibit and has become a gathering point for art tied to Puerto Rican tradition and identity ¹.

What it means for you

For audiences following Puerto Rican art, this exhibit is a chance to see in person the evolution of an artist who went from a massively popular character — the toad Concho — to a more mature, reflective sculptural proposal about local identity, without losing the humor or the connection to everyday life ¹³. For those who grew up with Concho, there is a thread of nostalgia; for those who did not know him, it is a fresh entry point into the work of a Puerto Rican sculptor who is still active and producing on the island.

Beyond its artistic value, the exhibit is also a reminder that Santurce remains a living cultural hub, with venues like MUSAN adding new programming worth following, especially art that uses recognizable symbols from Puerto Rican wildlife and culture to tell collective stories ¹².

How to act / Checklist

1. Visit MUSAN (Museo de los Santos y Arte Nacional) in the Santurce sector, where "Anecdotas de un San Pedrito" is currently on display ¹.
2. Before going, confirm visiting hours and admission cost directly on MUSAN's official social media, since small museums in Santurce often adjust schedules for events or maintenance.
3. For a preview, check out the photo gallery El Nuevo Dia published on October 2, which shows several of the sculptural pieces in the series ².
4. Follow El Nuevo Dia's video coverage to hear directly from Quique Rivera about his creative process moving from Concho to the San Pedrito ³.
5. If you are curious about the artist's earlier work, look up the toad Concho to understand the contrast with this new, San Pedrito-focused stage ³.
6. Share your visit on social media using the exhibit's name to help more people on the island discover this new show in Santurce.

What's next

With the exhibit already open to the public this week, what comes next is seeing how long it stays up at MUSAN and whether Rivera announces new pieces or an expansion of the San Pedrito-themed collection. Since this is only his first major exhibition since his 2021 return, it is reasonable to expect the artist will keep developing this new body of work in the coming months, likely with more media and social media appearances as interest in the show grows ¹²³.