Native Son: Prints and Drawings by Luis A. Jiménez Jr.
Born in El Paso, the son of a sign maker, Luis A. Jiménez Jr. became one of the greatest sculptors and draftsmen ever to hail from the state of Texas. Inspired by the flashing neon signs his father made and the brightly colored lowriders of his youth, the artist’s vibrant sculptures garnered him worldwide fame. This presentation of Jiménez’s prints and drawings from the museum’s collection celebrates the recent acquisition of the bronze sculpture Man on Fire and highlights one of the growing strengths of the McNay’s print room, contemporary Latino printmaking. The exhibition includes Jiménez’s haunting Self-Portrait as well as recent gifts of lithographs from San Antonio collectors Harriett and Ricardo Romo, a diptych titled Fiesta and the brilliantly colored Sidewinder. Also presented are two recently acquired preparatory drawings for one of Jiménez’s last prints, an untitled screenprint he was working on at Coronado Studio in Austin at the time of his accidental death in 2006. This is the first time these recent acquisitions are on view at the McNay.
