Join us at the Las Cruces Museum of Art, 491 N. Main St., for a new retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Art, “Gaspar Enríquez: Chicano Pride, Chicano Soul.”
Gaspar Enríquez is a nationally recognized Chicano artist from El Paso, Texas, who uses an airbrush to created hyper-realistic portraits. The exhibit is on view from Friday, Feb. 3 through Saturday, May 6, 2023.
There will be an opening reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 3. Gaspar Enríquez will be in attendance and will offer a gallery tour at 5:30 p.m.
Gaspar Enríquez is a self-defined Chicano artist who has been at the forefront of the national Chicano art movement for more than 50 years. Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, he uses his hyper-realistic, airbrushed portraits to show the humanity of the El Paso Chicano community and the tensions they face when living in a two-culture environment.
Enríquez’s Chicano heritage is a consistent thread that ties together his work, which reflects his life experiences, the urban environment, and the people of his hometown. His compassionate nature allows him to capture his subject’s humanity and forces the viewer to look deeply at his subjects.
Gaspar Enriquez was born in 1942 and raised in the Segundo Barrio of El Paso, Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Art degree from the University of Texas, El Paso in 1971 and a Master of Art degree from New Mexico State University in 1985.
Enriquez was an art teacher at Bowie High School in El Paso for 32 years. Since his retirement, he has focused on his artwork and renovating adobe structures in the historic downtown of San Elizario, Texas.
His artwork is in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution, the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, the El Paso Museum of Art, and other prominent institutions.
The Museum of Art is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. There is no admission fee. The museum is accessible via RoadRUNNER Transit Route 1, Stop 1.
For information, visit the Museum System website at www.lascruces.gov/museums, or call 575/541-2137.