An interview of Luis Jimenez conducted 1985 Dec. 15-17, by Peter Bermingham, in Tuscon, Ariz., for the Archives of American Art.
Jimenez speaks of his family and ancestral background; his father's artistic ability and work as a neon sign maker; starting out in the architecture program at the University of Texas, and later changing to the art program; moving to New York City, and getting his sculpture career started there; meeting and working with Seymour Lipton; selling his work and getting established in galleries; the inspirations for and the development of some of his pieces; the influence of pop art; returning to the Southwest; the importance and influence of his Mexican ancestry; personal images and reflections in his work. He recalls Alfonso Ossorio.
Biographical / Historical:
Luis Jimenez (1940-2006) was an American sculptor of Mexican descent from Hondo, N.M. Born in El Paso, Tex.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Papers relating to an exhibition, "China Revisited: Ink Paintings by Thomas George," at the National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution, 1977. Included are letters to Bermingham from Thomas George, Betty Parsons Gallery, and Paul Boorstin, a list of paintings in the exhibition, notes, George's résumé and statement for the catalogue, a draft of the catalogue, and exhibition invitations.
Biographical / Historical:
Museum curator.
Provenance:
Transferred 1980 by the National Collection of Fine Arts to the Archives of American Art.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Luis Jimenez, 1985 Dec. 15-17. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
No access restrictions Many of SIA's holdings are located off-site, and advance notice is recommended to consult a collection. Please email the SIA Reference Team at osiaref@si.edu
A handbook of the prints in the permanent collection / the University of Arizona Museum of Art ; Adeline Lee Karpiscak, researcher and assistant editor ; Betsy Hughes, research assistant ; Peter Bermingham, general editor
Jacques Lipchitz : sketches and models in the collection of the University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, Arizona / introduction and catalog by Peter Bermingham
A stern and lovely scene : a visual history of the Isles of Shoals : [exhibition at the] University Art Galleries, University of New Hampshire / [Susan C. Faxon, Alice Downey, Peter Bermingham]