Albuquerque

Luis Jimenez is one of the country's most celebrated contemporary Latino artists. Jimenez was born in the barrio in El Paso, Texas, in 1940. His artistic career has spanned over 30 years. Jimenez is known for his animated, large-scale fiberglass sculptures that celebrate the cultural history of his native Southwest. The vibrant colors he enjoys using may have come from working in his father's electric and neon shop. His sculpture Southwest Pieta, in Longfellow Park, Martineztown, depicts an Aztec male cradling his dead female love atop a 12-foot mountain base. The piece is based on an Aztec story, but employs the iconography of the popular Christian image of Mary holding the dead body of Christ.