About the Artist

Award-winning artist Luis Del Valle was born in Nicaragua in 1980 and migrated to the United States in 1985. At the age of 13, he started to paint graffiti murals in DC, Maryland, an Virginia. A few years later at Bell Multicultural High School he began his formal artistic education, continuing his studies at the Corcoran College of Art and Design.

 

In 2013, Luis was selected as the winner of the East of the River Distinguished Artist Award. That year he was also a finalist for the District of Columbia 28th Annual Mayor’s Arts Awards. These accomplishments preceded the presentation of the National Museum of Catholic Art and Library National Artist Award by Prince Lorenzo Maria De Medici in 2014, and his selection as the artist commissioned for the 2015 Beijing / District of Columbia Sister Cities Project.

 

Del Valle explores various subjects in his works. He paints family, friends, and everyday people as well as historic events and icons, such as Pope Francis, Nelson Mandela, Frederick Douglass, Roberto Clemente, and Celia Cruz. The murals, portraits, and landscapes Del Valle creates tell stories in vibrant colors and realistic figures. They draw the viewer into the long traditions of art and yet speak to the viewers’ modern sensibility. Luis continues to grow his unique personal artistic sensibilities while remaining an active leader in the metropolitan arts world.