El Corazón de Luis

Object Details

Artist

Gaspar Enríquez, born 1942

Sitter

Luis Jiménez, 30 Jul 1940 - 13 Jun 2006

Exhibition Label

Born El Paso, Texas

Luis Jiménez’s large-scale fiberglass sculptures of mustangs, dancers, and howling coyotes have become familiar sights in public spaces across the United States. An internationally recognized artist, Jiménez put his stamp on Pop art by infusing his playful critique of American society with the history and myths of his native Southwest. His blazing Vaquero, installed just outside this building, offers a reinvention of equestrian sculpture that draws attention to the Hispanic origins of the American cowboy. The sculpture has been a signature work of the Smithsonian since it was acquired in the 1980s.

Born in the U.S.-Mexico borderland in Texas, Jiménez learned how to spray paint and weld while working at his father’s neon shop. Without formal training, he moved to New York City in the 1960s, where the art world took notice of his talent.

Chicano portraitist Gaspar Enríquez, a friend of Jiménez, made this diptych a few years before Jiménez died in a studio accident.

Nacido en El Paso, Texas

Las gigantescas esculturas en fibra de vidrio de Luis Jiménez, que representan caballos, bailarines y coyotes aulladores, se han vuelto imágenes familiares en los espacios públicos de Estados Unidos. Jiménez, artista de fama internacional, dejó su huella en el arte pop con su crítica lúdica de la sociedad estadounidense, en la que introdujo la historia y los mitos de la región suroeste del país, donde nació. Su espectacular Vaquero, instalado a la entrada de este edificio, nos ofrece una reinvención de la escultura ecuestre que pone de relieve el origen hispano del cowboy norteamericano. Esta escultura ha sido una obra distintiva del Smithsonian desde su adquisición en la década de 1980.

Nacido en Texas, en la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México, Jiménez aprendió a pintar con aerosol y a soldar trabajando en el taller de letreros de neón de su padre. Sin instrucción formal, se mudó a la ciudad de Nueva York en la década de 1960, donde su talento llamó la atención del mundo del arte.

El retratista chicano Gaspar Enríquez, amigo de Jiménez, realizó este díptico pocos años antes de la muerte de este, a causa de un accidente en el estudio.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; donated from the collection of Jerry and Michelle Wright (El Paso, Texas) December 1st, 2016

2003

Object number

NPG.2016.144.1

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© 2003 Gaspar Enriquez

Type

Painting

Medium

Airbrushed acrylic paint on paper

Dimensions

Image: 104.5 × 74 cm (41 1/8 × 29 1/8")

Frame: 122.2 × 91.4 × 7 cm (48 1/8 × 36 × 2 3/4")

Place

United States\Texas\El Paso\San Elizario

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Alternate Title

Luis Jiménez

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Costume\Headgear\Hat

Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses

Luis Jiménez: Male

Luis Jiménez: Visual Arts\Artist\Sculptor

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.2016.144.1

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4a1941524-823e-4402-92ce-5bb01e3c1c24