René Santos (1954-1986) was a painter, photographer, and educator in New York, New York. Santos was born Carlos René Santos in Puerto Rico. He received a bachelor's degree from Tufts University in 1973 and a master's degree in 1976 from Hunter College where he studied with art critic Rosalind Krauss. His work is in the collections of The New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Santos's work has been shown in numerous exhibitions including several held after he died in 1986.