Irene Pijoan

Irene Pijoan (1953–2004) was a Swiss-born American painter, sculptor, and educator. She was active in the San Francisco Bay Area and taught at the San Francisco Art Institute for more than 20 years.

Early life and education Irene Pijoan was born on November 11, 1953, in Lausanne, Switzerland to parents Geneviève Bugnion and . Her mother was Swiss, her father was a Spanish architect, art historian, philosopher, and poet in the Catalan language. In 1979, Pijoan was awarded a scholarship to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. In 1981–1982, she was awarded the Roswell Artist-in-Residence.

Her art work was created in a wide range of styles and materials. In the beginning of her career she was working with abstract Funk art sculptures,

She created public art in the form of large scale aluminum cut-out screens on display at Highland Hospital in Oakland; Santa Clara Public Library; Victoria Manalo Draves Park in SOMA, San Francisco; and at the Harborview Medical Building in Seattle.

Death and legacy Starting in 1999, Pijoan battled breast cancer. and San José Museum of Art.

Publications