Luis Jimenez: Prints, Drawings & Sculptures (PrintHouston 2015)

In conjunction with PrintHouston 2015, Moody Gallery presents the exhibition Luis Jiménez: Prints, Drawings & Sculptures. Opening Reception Saturday, June 6, 2pm-5pm. On view through July 3.

"Art should in some way make a person more aware, give him insight 'to where he's at' and in some way reflect what it is like to be living in these times and in this place." Luis Jiménez, The Latin American Spirit: Art and Artists in the United States, 1920-1970, 1988

Luis Jiménez (July 30, 1940 – June 13, 2006) was an American sculptor of Mexican descent. He was born in El Paso, Texas and died in New Mexico. He studied art and architecture at the University of Texas in Austin and El Paso, earning a bachelor's degree in 1964. He became an accomplished artist and taught art at the University of Arizona and later the University of Houston.

Jiménez was known for his large polychromed fiberglass sculptures usually of Southwestern and Hispanic themes. His works were often controversial and eminently recognizable because of their themes and the bright, colorful undulating surfaces that Jiménez employed.

He was influenced by the murals of José Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera. Working in his father's shop, making neon signs, as well as lowrider car culture, featuring brightly painted fiberglass bodywork, were also artistic influences.

In 1993, he was a recipient of the New Mexico Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts. In 1998 he received a Distinguished Alumni award from the University of Texas in recognition of his artwork.

He was killed in his studio on June 13, 2006, when a large section of Blue Mustang, intended for Denver International Airport, fell on him and severed an artery in his leg. The sculpture was based on the eight-foot-high sculpture Mesteño (Mustang), on display at the University of Oklahoma.

Pictured Louis Jimenez, Howl, 1977, lithograph.