Luis Jiménez was an American artist, known for his large-scale fiberglass sculptures. His work celebrates the Southwest and its people while addressing issues facing the Hispanic community. With the growth of the Hispanic population in the United States, many museums have begun to turn their attention towards Latino artists, such as Luis Jiménez. Their goal is to shine a light on an area of art that has been neglected for too long, claiming Latino art is American art.  

Jiménez was born in El Paso in 1940. At six years old, he began his artistic training working in his father’s sign shop in the Segundo Barrio neighborhood of El Paso. He was surrounded by generations of craftsmen during his childhood. His grandfather was a glassblower in Mexico, and his undocumented immigrant father, Luis Sr., made neon signs for a living and aspired to become a fine artist. Though these dreams never bore fruit, Jiménez was inspired by his father’s work as he used his signs to exercise his creativity.  

Jiménez studied art and architecture at the University of Texas in Austin and received his bachelor's degree in 1964. Shortly after, he went to Mexico City to do graduate study in art at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico. Jiménez moved to New York City in 1966 and became an apprentice to artist Seymour Lipton. He repeatedly tried to gain recognition while in New York but was unsuccessful. In 1969, he visited the Castelli Gallery and dragged three of his large sculptures through the gallery’s entrance without permission. The director, Ivan Karp, was impressed by Jiménez’s work and referred him to the Graham Gallery, which gave the artist his first show. After his success at the Graham Gallery, Jiménez was able to quit his job and devote his time to working as a full time artist. To make his works of art available to a vast audience, Jiménez made his sculptures larger than life-size and arranged to have them exhibited outside in public places. Jiménez’s early experiences with art led him to favor fiberglass and materials related to automotive production, as well as bright and colorful surfaces.  

In 1971, Jiménez relocated to Hondo, New Mexico and established his studio out of an abandoned schoolhouse. Jiménez died in his studio in 2006 when an incomplete sculpture intended for the Denver International Airport, Blue Mustang, fell and killed him. After Jiménez’s sudden death, James Moore, the former director of the Albuquerque Museum, said: “If there were a Michelangelo living in our time, in terms of talent and creativity, Luis was it.” 

Luis Jiménez’s sculptures are immediately recognizable, painted in bright carnival colors and modeled with sleek curves. Their captivating qualities serve to make historically marginalized people – Mexican immigrants, farm laborers, and others – visible to the public. Many of his pieces draw on a variety of recognizable Southwestern and Chicano motifs. His sculptures combine size, color, and movement to create a dramatic and heroic effect. Betsy Broun, the director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC once said, “His is not a quiet, meditative, reflective art. It's an art that says, ‘This is important!’ and reaches out to grab your attention.”  

His sculptures have been displayed in public places and institutions across North America, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Centro Cultural Arte Contemporaneo in Mexico.