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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 978 Introduced in House (IH)]

109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 978

     Expressing profound sorrow upon the death of Luis Jimenez and 
    recognizing his distinguished career and great contributions to 
                             American art.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2006

Mr. Reyes (for himself, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Pearce, Mr. Hinojosa, and Mr. 
 Ortiz) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
     Expressing profound sorrow upon the death of Luis Jimenez and 
    recognizing his distinguished career and great contributions to 
                             American art.

Whereas Luis Jimenez' Jr. was born on July 30, 1940 in El Paso, Texas and grew 
        up in the border city's Segundo Barrio ward;
Whereas Luis Jimenez, Jr. was the son of Luis Jimenez, Sr., who crossed into the 
        United States from Mexico in 1924 at the age of 9 and rose to become the 
        owner of an El Paso sign shop and eventually received national 
        recognition for his spectacular neon sign creations, which the son 
        described as ``individual works of great imagination'';
Whereas Luis Jimenez, Jr. attended Texas Western College (now the University of 
        Texas at El Paso) from 1958 to 1959, received a Bachelor of Science 
        degree in art and architecture from the University of Texas at Austin, 
        studied at Ciudad Universitaria in Mexico City, and assisted abstract 
        expressionist sculptor Seymour Lipton in New York;
Whereas reflecting on his experiences in Mexico City, Luis Jimenez, Jr. said, 
        ``I learned that although I am of Mexican descent, my thinking formed on 
        this side of the border.'';
Whereas Luis Jimenez, Jr. revolutionized the art world by creating monumental 
        fiberglass sculptures that drew on a broad understanding of the American 
        experience at a time when other sculptors chose not to connect with 
        their audience through narrative content;
Whereas Luis Jimenez, Jr. elevated the medium of pop art, establishing the form 
        as a vehicle for expressing powerful social and political meaning;
Whereas in his art, Luis Jimenez, Jr. proved adept at blending past and present, 
        articulating a connection between the men and women who have previously 
        contributed to the building of the country, the prosperity of 
        contemporary America, and those who continue to contribute today;
Whereas Luis Jimenez, Jr. was committed to the notion of art as a public gesture 
        and determined that his works speak to a broad population and have 
        meaning in a direct, popular way;
Whereas Luis Jimenez, Jr. provided singular, essential representation of the 
        Latino experience in America, the saga of migration and border life, and 
        the mystique of the Southwest United States;
Whereas Luis Jimenez died on June 13, 2006 in a tragic accident while working on 
        one of the monumental fiberglass sculptures of mustangs commissioned for 
        the Denver airport, in his Hondo, New Mexico studio;
Whereas Luis Jimenez is widely acknowledged as being among the most influential 
        and important American artists, literally changing the face of 
        contemporary art, and his works are highly sought after by appreciators 
        and collectors of fine art and his sculptures grace public areas in El 
        Paso, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma City, Houston, Albuquerque, Fargo, and 
        Washington, D.C.; and
Whereas the Smithsonian American Art Museum displays the monumental Luis 
        Jimenez, Jr. statue Vaquero next to its front entrance, along with 
        holding several of his drawings, lithographs, and smaller statues: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the United States House of Representatives 
expresses profound sorrow at the untimely death of Luis Jimenez and 
recognizes his distinguished career and great contributions to American 
art.
                                 <all>
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