The Bolivar Arellano Gallery (BAG) in the East Village of New York City showcases  work by photographers and by the renowned photographer Bolivar Arellano himself. BAG officially opened it's doors in 1997 to an exhibition on Jackie & the Kennedys. Arellano has curated various exhibitions from his extensive collection of over 40 years of photography. He created this space to showcase not only his work, but that of other artists who capture and speak to the human spirit through their art.

After 10 years of unique exhibitions that explore the human spirit and present a unique perspective on local and international events the BAG Gallery will officially close after September 30th, 2007. This 6th Annual Exhbition of WTC Ground Zero Photos will be the final exhibition on public display. From here on in only this website will serve as a forum to showcase the amazing photography of Bolivar Arellano.

Bolivar Arellano was born in Alausi Ecuador and has been a professional photographer for over 40 years. Arellano began his career on February 1963 in Colombia. There his first photographs were published in the Newspapers Vanguardia Liberal in Bucaramanga, and El Espectador in Bogota. In 1965 Arellano then returned home to Ecuador and worked for such periodicals as El Telegrafo and Vistazo Magazine both in Guayaguil. In 1969 he would come to earn the distinguished award, Best National Photo for two consecutive years.

Arriving in New York City on May 14, 1971, Arellano would continue his work as a photojournalist even though he didn't speak English. His photos reached the two top Hispanic Newspapers - El Diario La Prensa, Noticias Del Mundo as well  as Temas Magazine. Shortly after,  he collaborated with a the Puerto Rican newspaper,  El Mundo, and TeVe Guia Magazine. His pictures for the Associated Press have been published in newspapers such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post. Since 1993, he has been a staff photographer at The New York Post.

Since opening his gallery in 1997,  he has had various exhibitions on Political Prisoners of Puerto Rico, Elian Gonzalez & Cuba, Vieques, Jackie and the Kennedy's and most recently 40 Years in Photography, which featured images spanning his entire career.

Much of his works are laced with adventurous stories and events. He covered the Civil War in El Salvador in 1982 for the Associated Press. In 1985 while covering the civil war in Nicaragua for AP, he was kidnapped by the Contras and held for several days.

On September 11, 2001, Arellano was at the World Trade Center and had survived the fall of the first Tower but was injured when the second tower came down. The memories of that infamous day made it difficult for him to deal with the loss of life.  Arellano took  it upon himself to dedicate his gallery for over  a year to an exhibition that would define his career. He gathered  23 press photographers who covered  the events on  that day to donate their work for charity.

The US Library of Congress purchased over 100 pictures from the September 11 collection to be exhibited and used for educational purposes. According to Ms. Carol Johnson curator of the Library of Congress this exhibit "is one if not the best exhibit on September 11 in New York." The exhibition ran for an entire year and was able to raise $50,000 for the NYPF Widows, Children's Fund, EMS and the Father Mychal Judge Fund.

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If you are interested in booking Mr. Bolivar Arellano for a speaking engagement email booking@bolivararellanogallery.com or call 212-420-1263