Born in Santiago, Chile, his family left Chile in the wake of the military overthrow of the democratically elected Salvador Allende government. His father, Orlando, was assassinated by a car bomb in Washington, D.C., in 1976. Francisco and his brother José, along with Chilean painter René Castro, formed "Brigada Orlando Letelier," painting murals in 12 American cities and traveling to Nicaragua in 1980 to paint five more as part of a national literacy campaign. Now based in Venice, Letelier has worked on public art works, performances, installations, publications, and exhibitions in the United States and internationally. He writes, teaches, and lectures, and has worked with people of all ages creating collective and individual works, such as portable murals, banners, flags, books, medicine wheels, and earth mounds. In spring 1998, he traveled to Belfast, Ireland, to paint a mural of reconciliation with Protestant and Catholic community groups. (Source: Robin K. Dunitz, Street Gallery, Guide to over 1000 Los Angeles Murals)
