Luis Jimenez—Alumnus, 1957 and 1958
“The art of Luis Jimenez gives voice to the common man, the worker, the unsung hero. It sounds amazingly like a howl.”
Howl, 1986 Fiberglass and Acrylic Urethane
The Inside Story
Luis Jimenez once came across a coyote that had been hit by a car and was howling in pain. He had no gun, so he used his bare hands to put it out of its misery. He says he has never forgotten it. Born in El Paso, Texas in 1940, Luis was the son of an illegal immigrant. Luis Jimenez Sr. garnered acclaim as a successful neon sign designer. Luis excelled in his art classes at school while working in his father’s neon sign shop. Luis has felt the effects of labor and immigration struggles, and identifies with the life-altering concerns of working-class people. His interest in workers and the common man is the primary focus of his art, which stems largely from his own humble beginnings. “I grew up with the highest regard for people who work with their hands. The trouble is most people today are so far removed from the source of goods they rely upon—food, fuel, etc… They lack appreciation for the labor that produces them.” His father convinced him to study architecture as a compromise between Luis’s interest in art, and his own interest in a stable profession for his son. In his fourth year at the University of Texas, Austin, Luis changed his major to fine art, which had been his true interest all along.
Current Status
Luis is currently working on three projects:
Career Path/Artistic Path
Luis eventually moved to New York, where he had his first one-person show in 1969. He learned techniques previously used to make airplane fuselages, racecar bodies and carnival figurines. Drawing on his early experiences, Luis creates art that comes from a “border” perspective, but his works speak not only in general terms, but to broader, more global issues as well. He is able to transform regional and culturally specific myths and symbols into globally recognized and relevant icons. Luis’s work has often created contentious public debate since his work focuses on the cultural and political themes of the Southwestern, Mexican-American working class.
Exhibitions
Luis has completed over 20 public commissions, participated in more than 75 solo exhibitions, and has pieces in the collections of numerous museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as well as the National Gallery in Washington, DC.
He has two solo exhibitions currently running:
Mesa Fine Arts Center, Mesa, Arizona
Latino Cultural Center, Dallas, Texas.
Award History
Recognition through The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
“The art of Luis Jimenez gives voice to the common man, the worker, the unsung hero. It sounds amazingly like a howl.”
Howl, 1986 Fiberglass and Acrylic Urethane
The Inside Story
Luis Jimenez once came across a coyote that had been hit by a car and was howling in pain. He had no gun, so he used his bare hands to put it out of its misery. He says he has never forgotten it. Born in El Paso, Texas in 1940, Luis was the son of an illegal immigrant. Luis Jimenez Sr. garnered acclaim as a successful neon sign designer. Luis excelled in his art classes at school while working in his father’s neon sign shop. Luis has felt the effects of labor and immigration struggles, and identifies with the life-altering concerns of working-class people. His interest in workers and the common man is the primary focus of his art, which stems largely from his own humble beginnings. “I grew up with the highest regard for people who work with their hands. The trouble is most people today are so far removed from the source of goods they rely upon—food, fuel, etc… They lack appreciation for the labor that produces them.” His father convinced him to study architecture as a compromise between Luis’s interest in art, and his own interest in a stable profession for his son. In his fourth year at the University of Texas, Austin, Luis changed his major to fine art, which had been his true interest all along.
Current Status
Luis is currently working on three projects:
- A ’32 Mustang sculpture for the Denver, Colorado Airport;
- A Firefighter sculpture for the city of Cleveland;
- A sculpture of Cesar Chavez for the city of Houston.
Career Path/Artistic Path
Luis eventually moved to New York, where he had his first one-person show in 1969. He learned techniques previously used to make airplane fuselages, racecar bodies and carnival figurines. Drawing on his early experiences, Luis creates art that comes from a “border” perspective, but his works speak not only in general terms, but to broader, more global issues as well. He is able to transform regional and culturally specific myths and symbols into globally recognized and relevant icons. Luis’s work has often created contentious public debate since his work focuses on the cultural and political themes of the Southwestern, Mexican-American working class.
Exhibitions
Luis has completed over 20 public commissions, participated in more than 75 solo exhibitions, and has pieces in the collections of numerous museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as well as the National Gallery in Washington, DC.
He has two solo exhibitions currently running:
Mesa Fine Arts Center, Mesa, Arizona
Latino Cultural Center, Dallas, Texas.
Award History
- Mid-Career Fellowship Award, American Academy in Rome
- The American Academy of Arts and Letters
- A.I.A Environmental Improvement Award; Awards in the Visual Arts
- Skowhegan Sculpture Award
- Francis J. Greenburger Award
- La Napoule International Residency Award (NEA International Grant)
- New Mexico Governor’s Award
- 1998 Texas Artist of the Year
Recognition through The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
- 1st place, Sculpture, El Paso, TX, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 1957
- 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, Sculpture, 1st and 3rd place in Pencil drawing, El Paso, TX, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 1958
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