Rico Fonseca, 80, ‘The Artist of Greenwich Village,’ a fixture in Washington Square for 50 years

BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | Rico Fonseca, who sold his art outside Washington Square Park for decades and went by the moniker “The Artist of Greenwich Village,” died on May 8 at his home in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was 80.

A notice of Fonseca’s death is posted on the fence of New York University School of Law’s Vanderbilt Hall, on MacDougal Street just south of the park.

Fonseca was particularly known for his portraits of rock stars and other musicians, along with 1960s-style hippie imagery. One of his trademarks was his posters filled with dozens of mini-portraits of musicians — packed together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle — all of them from a similar genre or particular era. It’s fun to look at them and try to name all the stars. Fonseca would also mix current events — like the Cold War or the space program — into his pop posters.

Rico Fonseca was born in Lima, Peru, where he developed his artistic talent at a young age and dreamed of becoming a world-renowned artist. With only $25 in his pocket, he hitchhiked his way up the Pan-American Highway, arriving in Miami three months later.

On his way to America, he painted on driftwood. Once in New York City, he developed his signature style in his paintings and in murals.

With his thick, curly hair, colorful beanies and warm smile, Fonseca became an iconic figure in Greenwich Village. For more than 50 years, he sat on MacDougal Street across from Washington Square Park, selling his artwork and inspiring others with his unique style and vision.

His art graced the pages of many newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times and Playboy. According to Fonseca’s obituary on Legacy.com, his pieces were admired by famous individuals, including Presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan.

“Rico’s legacy will continue to inspire us all to live a life full of color, creativity and hope,” the obituary states.

Around seven or more years ago, Fonseca shifted his vending spot one block south to MacDougal and W. Third Streets, outside an N.Y.U. School of law dorm. Back then, he told this writer that John Sexton, the former N.Y.U. president, had suggested he move from near the park to the more bustling, honky-tonk corner, but Fonseca did not say if Sexton had given a reason for the request.

On a recent weekday, a longtime Greenwich Village resident was passing by Fonseca’s former original corner, when he spotted the obituary notice.

“Aw, really?” he said, sadly. “A local icon. He made the Village more colorful.”

Declining to share his name, he wondered aloud if Fonseca’s mural was still outside the Groove music club, at the corner of W. Third and MacDougal Streets.

The answer is yes. Actually, there are three of them, all done in the fall of 1999. The one on the right portrays ’60s rock icons, including the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull, Jim Morrison, Eric Clapton and Robert Plant. The middle mural is of ’50s rock stars, such as Buddy Holly, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. The third is of jazz greats.

Five samples of Fonseca’s artwork can also be seen on the wall in Ben’s Pizzeria, just across the street from Groove. A couple of pieces depict ’80s musicians and stars. One shows a herd of comedians, while another contains a mass of just Michael Jackson mini-portraits.

Rico Fonseca is survived by his only child, Fabian Fonseca, and stepchildren, Donya, Gary, Byron, Debbie and Casey. Services were held June 3 at Kniffen O’Malley Leffler Funeral & Cremation Services, in Wilkes-Barre.

In a tribute posted on the online obituary, Alex Noschese, a video editor, recalled enjoying talking with Fonseca when Noschese was a student at New York University.

“I’m very sad to hear about Rico’s passing but I’m incredibly grateful for all the time we spent together back in my days at N.Y.U.,” he wrote. “We first met because one of my best friends had Rico’s ‘Flower Child’ poster up on his bedroom wall. My friend told me who Rico was and that he sold work on the corner right by my dorm. I went over one day, introduced myself, and we became fast friends.

“I can’t count how many Sundays we would sit and talk for hours. I loved hearing all his stories about the Village and his own life history. We developed a very close friendship and eventually worked on some video projects together.

“He once brought me up to his apartment on the Upper West Side, which was a fascinating place, and later invited me to stay with him and Patricia for a few days at their house in Wilkes-Barre, PA, which was even more fascinating,” Noschese recalled. “The world he created for himself at home was like nothing else. His sense of decoration and his art all around was such a treat to see, and it made him so happy.

“Eventually we lost touch as my life got quite busy after college, but I still saw him a couple times after that and he always held a special place in my heart. He was like no one else I’ve ever known and he touched so many people’s lives over the years. The world will miss him, but his memory will live on in the art he created, and with the countless people he impressed with it.”