MIAMI, FLORIDA.-Through his powerful literary contributions, Carlos Fuentes has helped define the cultural, emotional and hereditary identity of Latin America. As a novelist, essayist and scholar, he is internationally recognized as one of the greatest literary and political figures of the Spanish speaking world. He is widely recognized as both a scholar and public intellectual.

His lecture, “Arts of the People, Hands of God,” will kick off the 25th anniversary of the Steven & Dorothea Green Critics’ Lecture Series at Florida International University’s Frost Art Museum and serve as the opening reception to The Saint Makers exhibition on Friday, September 23, at 8 p.m. in Room GL 100. His presentation will address Mexican popular art and its influence on artists such as Jose Posada and Frida Kahlo.

“It is a pleasure to return to FIU,” said Carlos Fuentes. “I am particularly happy to have been invited to a University that is rich in cultural traditions and houses a diverse student body.”

Fuentes’ novels include “Terra Nostra,” “The Death of Artemio Cruz” and the New York Times bestseller, “The Old Gringo.” In each of his novels, he looks deeply at the identity of Latin Americans, and how they struggle with the complexities of ancestors from Native America, Africa and Spain.

The scope and power of his work is undeniable. Fuentes was the leading figure of Latin America’s literary boom of the 1960s and ‘70s and has garnered some of the most prestigious awards in the world. In addition to his more than 20 books, Mr. Fuentes’ work has appeared in The Nation, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

“We could not be more fortunate than to welcome such an accomplished intellectual,” said FIU President Modesto A. Maidique. “Through his impressive body of work, Fuentes has shown us all that humanism is the thread that binds us all.”

The Steven & Dorothea Green Critics' Lecture Series was established as an endowment to enhance exhibitions and educational programs at The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum. Internationally renowned artists, museum curators, scholars and critics have spoken on a variety of topics. Since 1980, the series has hosted prominent figures like Philippe de Montebello, Terry Gross, Michael Graves, Alex Katz and Oscar Hijuelos.

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University is an AAM accredited university museum and Smithsonian affiliate. All museum events are free and open to the public. The Frost Art Museum is located in PC110 in the Charles Perry Building, SW 107th Ave. and 8th St. at the Florida International University, University Park. For more information please visit www.frostartmuseum.org or call 305-348-2890. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday; noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.