Artist Talk: Alfredo Arreguín

About Alfredo

Living in Washington for a majority of his life, Alfredo Arreguín is a Seattle-based painter. He was originally born in Morelia, Michoacan, in 1935. His story is one of many trials and tribulations, such as his struggles with immigrating to the United States, pursuing higher education, and feeling like an outsider in a new country. Arreguín has become one of the greatest Hispanic artists of our generation. His emotive art comes from the pain he has endured through his life experiences. The artist chooses to emphasize emotion using intense colors and bold stylistic choices that set him apart from his peers in school. With a background in the arts from the University of Washington, Arreguín graduated in 1967 with a Bachelor of Arts and again in 1969 with a Master of Fine Arts. Arreguín’s paintings are heavily inspired by Mexican and Latino art as well as European modernism. To honor his Hispanic heritage, Arreguín often depicts famous historical activists and individuals such as Chico Mendes, who died struggling against the destruction of the Brazilian rainforest, and Hazel Wolf, the celebrated Northwest environmental activist. Referencing European modernism, the artist’s work features elements of cubism, surrealism, and geometric abstraction. These pieces are rich with vibrant, flowing colors. His work conveys the “magic of the jungle,” utilizing elements of fauna and flora as well as a “lace-like screen” that veils the subject in color. Arreguín’s bold and colorful art pieces depict relationships between nature and humanity, intersected with elements of the artist’s cultural identity and artistic style.

Alfredo has received many honors over five decades, including from the University of Washington, a Washington State Governor's Arts and Heritage Award in 1986, and several from Mexico, including the Ohtli Award, the highest recognition given by the Mexican government for contributions to the Mexican community abroad. His art is in collections and museums around the world, including the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum (both in Washington D.C.), Seattle Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, and in Mexico and Spain.