Vincent Valdez

 

From 2000 - 2014 this was the official website for the artist, Vincent Valdez, who has been called one of San Antonio’s great young artists. This archived version of the original website was created for use by the university art department under a grant provided by CleanItSupply, online retailer of cleaning supplies & products.
Content is from the site's archived pages as well as from other sources.

The current website for Vincent Valdez is found at: www.vincentvaldezart.com/

Valdez grew up in San Antonio and demonstrated talent for drawing at an early age. As a young muralist, he began exploring imagery that pertained to social/political statements. Vincent received a full scholarship to The Rhode Island School of Design where he earned his BFA in 2000. In 2004 at age 26, Stations, Valdez’s suite of monumental charcoal drawings, was shown at the McNay Museum in Texas. He was the youngest artist to have a solo exhibition at the McNay. Exhibition venues include: The Los Angeles County Musuem of Art, The Snite Musuem of Art, The Frye Museum, The Mexican Museum of National Art ,Chicago, The Parsons Museum in Paris, The El Paso Museum of Art, OSDE Buenos Aires, The Laguna Art Museum and others.
A recipient of the Skowhegan School of Painting ’05 and The Vermont Studio Center ’11, Valdez lives and works in Firestation #15, his restored 1928 Firestation in San Antonio, TX.

VINCENT VALDEZ   b. 1977

EDUCATION
2000 BFA The Rhode Island School of Design

RESIDENCIES
2014 Kunstlerhaus Bethanien Residency, Berlin, Germany
2011 The Vermont Studio Center
2005 The Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture
2003 SALA: SA MEETS LA Exchange
Self Help Graphics, Los Angeles, CA
2001 PRIMER PASO Artist in Residency Grant,
The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, San Antonio, TX

AWARDS

2006 San Antonio Artist Foundation Grant Recipient
2005 ArtPace Artist Travel Grant Recipient
54th ANNUAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD San Antonio, Art League Museum
2002 BEST OF SHOW AWARD Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, TX

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2014
THE STRANGEST FRUIT ArtPace, San Antonio, TX

 

The David Winton Bell Gallery will present a symposium in conjunction with the opening of Vincent Valdez: The Strangest Fruit on October 18, 2013 from 3:30 to 6:30 pm. The Strangest Fruit, Valdez's new series of ten large-scale paintings, references the lynching of Latinos in the United States and metaphorically illustrates the persecution and oppression felt by contemporary Latino Americans. Monica Muñoz Martinez, Daniel Hernandez, and Vincent Valdez will respond to the works and the histories and contemporary experiences that fostered them.

It’s very important to me that the subjects of these paintings are modern. It’s the idea of how, in America, the noose has evolved in various ways. It’s no longer a rope over a tree, it’s a slow death of incarceration, drug wars, combat wars, poverty, lack of education, and racial profiling.

— Vincent Valdez

THE STRANGEST FRUIT
ArtPace, The Hudson Gallery
May 8 - Aug 31

Kunstlerhaus Bethanien Residency
Berlin, Germany
Jan 15 - Aprril 15, 2014

THE STRANGEST FRUIT
Oct 18 - Jan 14, 2014
The Bell Gallery, Brown University
Providence, RI

FACE TO FACE: ARTIST’S SELF PORTRAITS FROM THE COLLECTION OF
JACKYE AND CURTIS FINCH, JR.
The Arkansas Arts Center
Oct 25 - Feb 9, 2014

2013
THE STRANGEST FRUIT The Bell Gallery, Brown University, Providence, RI

2012
EXCERPTS FOR JOHN The Marion Koogler McNay Museum, San Antonio, TX

2011
AMERICA’S FINEST Texas Contemporary Art Fair, Houston,TX

2010
FLASHBACK The Southwest School of Art, San Antonio, TX
STATIONS, Mesa Contemporary Arts Center, Mesa, AZ

2009
BURN Federal Art Projects, Los Angeles, CA
EL CHAVEZ RAVINE: VINCENT VALDEZ AND RY COODER
San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX

A behind the scenes look at the making of at Vincent Valdez "El Chávez Ravine". See photographs, drawings, paintings and studies, as well as Vincent in the studio at work on Ry Cooder's 1953 Chevy ice cream truck. Visit www.vincentvaldez.net for more on Vincent Valdez and "El Chávez Ravine".

 

 

 

 

THE POWER OF PLACE Finesilver Gallery, San Antonio, TX
TRACES OF CULTURE: YOUNG LATION ARTISTS Mexic-Arte Museum

 

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More Background On VincentValdezOfficialSite.com

 

Introduction

From 2000 to 2014, VincentValdezOfficialSite.com served as the digital portfolio and primary information hub for Vincent Valdez, one of the most prominent Latino visual artists to emerge from Texas in the early 21st century. Originally created for educational use by university art departments, this archive became a touchstone for students, collectors, and art aficionados interested in Valdez’s unique blend of technical prowess and socially conscious narratives.

Though no longer actively maintained—Valdez now uses [vincentvaldezart.com] as his official site—the archived version offers a valuable glimpse into the formative years of an artist whose work resonates across cultural, political, and academic spheres.

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Background and Biography

Vincent Valdez was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1977, into a Mexican-American family. He demonstrated exceptional artistic talent at a young age, gravitating towards murals and drawings that captured the lived experiences of his community.

In 2000, Valdez graduated with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)—a pivotal point in his trajectory as a professional artist. His time at RISD honed his technical abilities and deepened his commitment to socially relevant themes.

Following graduation, Valdez rapidly gained recognition in art circles for his ability to blend hyperrealism, history, and political commentary in his figurative work. He began exhibiting widely, and by 2004, at just 26, he became the youngest artist ever to receive a solo exhibition at the McNay Museum of Art in San Antonio.

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Location and Studio

Valdez lives and works in a restored 1928 fire station (Firestation #15) in San Antonio, Texas. This location not only functions as his home and studio but also as a symbolic intersection between public service and artistic intervention—apt for an artist who confronts systemic injustice through the lens of history and memory.

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Core Themes and Artistic Style

Valdez's work is characterized by:

• Large-scale figurative paintings and charcoal drawings

• Historical and contemporary political themes

• Focus on marginalized communities and social injustice

• Technically masterful, photorealistic approach

His subjects include Mexican-American veterans, victims of state violence, and iconography from American pop and military culture. Whether referencing lynching, incarceration, or cultural erasure, his pieces are imbued with pathos, urgency, and meticulous craftsmanship.

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Major Works and Series

1. Stations (2004)

Valdez's breakout body of work, Stations, was a monumental charcoal drawing series that offered a modern-day reinterpretation of the Stations of the Cross using the image of a fallen boxer as a metaphor for struggle and sacrifice. It was exhibited at:

• The McNay Museum of Art, San Antonio

• The Snite Museum of Art

• Texas A&M, Laredo

• Richard E. Peeler Art Center, DePauw University

The series was widely acclaimed for its technical virtuosity and emotional impact.

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2. The Strangest Fruit (2013–2014)

One of his most important and controversial series, The Strangest Fruit addressed the lynching of Latinos in American history—a rarely acknowledged chapter in the country’s legacy of racial violence. Featuring ten large-scale paintings of contemporary Latino men suspended in air, the work metaphorically interrogates modern forms of racial oppression such as incarceration, deportation, and poverty.

• Exhibited at ArtPace (San Antonio) and Bell Gallery at Brown University

• A symposium at Brown featured Vincent Valdez, Monica Muñoz Martinez, and Daniel Hernandez, exploring the history behind the work

"It’s no longer a rope over a tree. It’s a slow death of incarceration, drug wars, poverty, lack of education, and racial profiling." – Vincent Valdez

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3. Excerpts for John (2012)

A tribute to a fallen U.S. soldier and friend of Valdez, this work reflects on the psychological toll of war and the complexities of patriotism. It was exhibited at The McNay Museum.

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4. El Chávez Ravine (2009)

This mixed-media collaboration with musician Ry Cooder chronicled the eviction of Mexican-American residents in Los Angeles to build Dodger Stadium. The project featured drawings, video, and installation elements—including a restored 1953 Chevy ice cream truck.

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Awards and Residencies

Valdez has received numerous awards and residencies that have supported the development of his work:

• Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture (2005)

• Vermont Studio Center (2011)

• Künstlerhaus Bethanien Residency, Berlin (2014)

• San Antonio Artist Foundation Grant (2006)

• ArtPace Travel Grant (2005)

• Best of Show, Mexic-Arte Museum (2002)

These accolades reflect his standing as one of the most important Mexican-American artists of his generation.

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Exhibition History

Solo Exhibitions (Selected)

• The Strangest Fruit, ArtPace & Brown University (2013–2014)

• Excerpts for John, McNay Museum (2012)

• America’s Finest, Texas Contemporary Art Fair (2011)

• Stations, McNay Museum (2004); Mesa Contemporary Arts Center (2010)

• El Chávez Ravine, San Antonio Museum of Art (2009)

• Flashback, Southwest School of Art (2010)

Group Exhibitions (Selected)

Valdez has exhibited in major museums and galleries nationally and internationally:

• Los Angeles County Museum of Art

• Laguna Art Museum

• The Mexican Museum, Chicago

• Arkansas Arts Center

• National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago

• The Snite Museum of Art

• Fundación OSDE, Buenos Aires

• Parsons School of Design, Paris

• RISD Woods-Gerry Gallery

• Smithsonian Museum of Science and Industry

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Cultural and Social Significance

Valdez is a torchbearer for contemporary Chicano art, carrying forward the visual traditions of social critique laid down by artists such as Carlos Almaraz, Judith Baca, and Rupert García.

His work goes beyond aesthetic exploration, entering the realm of historical excavation and social reckoning. He consistently brings visibility to underrepresented narratives in American history—particularly those of Latino, veteran, and working-class communities.

In academic circles, Valdez’s work is often analyzed through lenses such as critical race theory, cultural memory, and visual activism. His paintings have been used in university curricula, panel discussions, and published research about visual resistance and public history.

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Audience and Reception

Valdez’s audiences span diverse communities:

• Art collectors and gallery patrons

• Students and educators in visual arts and social sciences

• Cultural historians and activists

• Latino and Chicano community leaders

• Museum-goers seeking works that challenge mainstream narratives

Critics praise Valdez for his bravery, clarity of purpose, and technical command. Reviewers from Art in America, The Los Angeles Times, and Texas Monthly have lauded his ability to use traditional techniques to address urgent contemporary issues.

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Press and Media Coverage

Over the years, Valdez’s work has been featured in:

• PBS segments on Chicano artists

• Art Papers and Southwest Contemporary

• Hyperallergic profiles on racial violence in art

• The New York Times coverage of museum exhibitions

• Local press such as the San Antonio Current, Austin Chronicle, and Houston Press

Additionally, his collaboration with Ry Cooder for El Chávez Ravine received national attention, blending fine art with cultural music and historical commentary.

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Legacy and Continuing Influence

While VincentValdezOfficialSite.com has been archived, the artist’s influence continues to expand. His official site at vincentvaldezart.com showcases his current works, which have grown in scale and political complexity.

Valdez’s artistic legacy includes:

• Inspiring the next generation of Chicano and Latino artists

• Being collected by major institutions like LACMA, SAMA, and The Ford Foundation

• Appearing in anthologies on race, art, and American identity

• Serving as a bridge between classical techniques and contemporary narratives