The international prizes for the IV Bienal were awarded to Luis A. Solari of Uruguay (Al que le caiga el burro [If the Jackass fits…], drypoint), Miguel Ángel Rojas of Colombia (De cinco dedos de furia [Five Fingers of Fury], etching), Pedro Friedeberg of México (Sigurats y Nogurats [Ziggurats and No-gurats], mixed media), Juan Gómez Quirós of Chile (Bodegón [Still Life], etching), Ángel Nevárez Ríos of Puerto Rico (Tiempo I [Time I], collagraphy). In the special category—reserved for Puerto Rican printers—the prize was granted to Jorge Morales Zeno for La profecía [The Prophesy], woodcut.
The Biennial de San Juan del Grabado Latinoamericano was one of the most important events held in the Caribbean region, given that it fostered an exchange of ideas and contact among different artists. The first of these biennials was organized by the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña [Institute of Puerto Rican Culture] (ICP) in 1970. Printmaking was selected because it was a form of expression that was widely practiced by Puerto Rican artists, who were producing very high quality work. In 1986, “y del Caribe” [and Caribbean] was added to the name of the biennial so it could include that geographic area in the event. Parallel to this change, the biennial included two exhibitions to recognize artists’ work: one to honor a Puerto Rican artist and the other to honor a foreign artist.
The IV Bienal was supposed to have been organized in 1976, but the artists protested based on their disagreement with the use of U.S. Bicentennial funds in the organization of the event. The director of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña decided to cancel it. The biennial finally took place in 1979.