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Bio and Resume

Thirty years ago, Nuez had an epiphany: by mastering light he could begin to find all the beauty he knew was hiding in the shadows. His striking and powerful artworks are a culmination of years obsessively dedicated to understanding light and color and from having a compassion for and extreme sensitivity to all things overlooked by society. From the ordinary and boring, to the shunned, to the scary, ugly and outcast - he was determined to elevate these to an unexpected, monumental status.

Nuez's photographs have been featured in solo and group exhibitions in museums and galleries internationally, including the Illinois State Museum in Chicago, IL; the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art in California; the Attleboro Art Museum in Massachusetts; and the San Diego Art Institute.

His work is in numerous collections worldwide, including those of the Illinois State Museum; the University of Richmond Museum in Virginia; the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, ND; the Norfolk Southern Collection; the Vicente Fox Library and Museum in Mexico; Mr. Danny DeVito; and Ms. Angela Lansbury.

Xavier’s family is from Spain; he was born in Montreal and lives in Chicago. Two or three nights a week he can be found at Johnny’s IceHouse playing hockey.

Xavier is available for assignment work. For inquiries, please email the artist. 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

23 Light Paintings, Morton College Gallery, Cicero, IL

22 Alleys & Ruins, Morton College Gallery, Cicero, IL

17 Alleys & Ruins: A 25 Year Retrospective,  Roberta A. Fiskum Art Gallery / University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, WI

17 Glam Bugs: A Retrospective, Instituto Cervantes, Chicago, IL

13 Xavier Nuez: Photographs, Elmhurst College Frick Center, Elmhurst, IL

13 Alley & Ruins, Instituto Cervantes, Chicago, IL

12 Alleys & Ruins, Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA

11 Alleys & Ruins: 1991-2011, Chicago Art District ShowPods, Chicago, IL

11 Alleys & Ruins, Condé Nast building, New York, NY

10 Alleys and Passages, Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, IN

08 Alleys & Ruins, Stanford Art Spaces, Stanford Universty, Stanford, CA

05 Alleys, Biddle Gallery, Detroit, MI

01 Glam Bugs, Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto, ON

99 Alleys, Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto, ON

99 Alleys, Pekao Gallery, Toronto, ON

96 Triptychs, Galerie Unison, Montreal, QB

95 Burial Grounds, Galerie Stornaway, Montreal, QB

94 Mondo Squeeze, Metropolis, Montreal, QB

 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

23 The Happiness Show. Epiphany Center for the Arts, Chicagho, IL

21 Light Paintings. Memories Gallery, Provincetown, MA 

18 Healing Nature. Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, MA

16 (runs to Nov 2019) Blue Man Group competition winners. BMG Outdoor Gallery, Briar Street Theatre, Chicago, IL

16 Bugs and Birds. Urban Edge Gallery, Waukegan, IL

16 Curious Reality. Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights, IL

15 VAIVÉN. Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa, FL.

15 City Creatures. Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago, IL

15 Fragile Relations. Illinois State Museum, Southern Illinois Gallery, Whittington, IL.

14 VAIVÉN. Instituto Cervantes, Albuquerque, NM

14 Urban Underground (featured artist). Peoria Art Guild gallery, Peoria, IL.

14 Fragile Relations. Illinois State Museum, Springfield Gallery, Springfield, IL.

14 VAIVÉN. Instituto Cervantes, NYC, NY

13 VAIVÉN. Six visual journeys between Spain and the US, Residence of the Ambassador of Spain / Embassy of Spain, Washington, DC

13 Chicago Prints: 150 years of the City in Art from the John and Lucia Hollister Collection, Southern Illinois University Museum, Carbondale, IL

13 The Night, Galerie Lichtblick, Cologne, Germany.

13 Fragile Relations: Art, Nature and Environment, Illinois State Museum, Lockport Gallery, Lockport, IL

13 Art After Dark: Artists and Artificial Lighting, Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, NC

13 ARTSIDA, Galerie D / Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, Montreal, QC

12 Fragile Relations: Art, Nature and Environment, Illinois State Museum, Chicago Gallery, Chicago, IL

12 What’s Big is Little, What’s Little is Big, Susquehanna Art Museum’s VanGo, Harrisburg, PA

12 Elemenets of Death, Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, TX

12 Alleys and Ruins, Schneider Gallery, Chicago, IL

12 Glam Bugs, Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst, IL

10 Seeing Double, Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro, MA

10 6x6x2010, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Rochester, NY

10 Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA

10 Version 10 – Infrastructures and Territories, Zhou B Center, Chicago, IL

10 Art Open, River East Art Center, Chicago, IL

10 Postcards From the Edge, ZieherSmith gallery, NYC, NY

09 Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL

09 50th Annual International Exhibition, Museum of the Living Artist, San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA

09 Depth of Perception, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, Novato, CA

08 Recent Acquisitions, University of Richmond Museum, VA

08 Gateway, Farmington Museum, Farmington, NM

08 Shepherd’s Table Benefit, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

08 Alleys, Art Spaces, Stanford University, CA

08 Four Views, LH Horton Jr Gallery, San Joaquin College, Stockton, CA

08 Impermanance, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA

08 Alleys, The StudioShop Gallery, Burlingame, CA

08 The Park Place Gallery, Kansas City, MO

07 Atherton Gallery, Menlo Park, CA

06 Schneider Gallery, Chicago, IL

05 Guenther Gallery, Chicago, IL

05 Wanderlust, Virginia Museum of Transportation, Roanoke, VA

04 Crystalys, Ariana Gallery, Detroit, MI

03 Crystalys, Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto, ON

02 Birds, Bugs and Bystanders, Peak Gallery, Toronto, ON

00 Lots of it…, Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto, ON

99 Photorama, Gallery TPW, Toronto, ON

99 Photo Salon, Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto, ON

99 Summer Group Exhibition, Pekao Gallery, Toronto, ON

95 Luscious: Safe Sex Erotica, Artkore Gallery, Montreal, QC

93 Alleys & Fire Escapes, L’Atelier Big Bang, Montreal, QC

ART FAIRS

1999-present

Yearly, I do 20 or more of the country's best art fairs. Schedule

 

COLLECTIONS

Illinois State Museum in Chicago

University of Richmond Museum

Plains Art Museum in Fargo, ND

University of Richmond Museum

RV/MH Museum, Elkhart, IN

University of Michigan

Michigan State University

Denver School of the Arts

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

Washington University in St Louis – faculty of architecture

Norfolk Southern Collection

Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, OH

City of Roanoke, VA (mayor’s office)

City of East Lansing, MI

Hilton Hotels

GEICO Insurance (Presiden’t office)

Habitat for Humanity (President’s office)

Former President of Mexico Vicente Fox

Mr. Earl Hamner, creator/producer of the Waltons & Falcon Crest

Ms. Angela Lansbury, actor

Mr. Danny DeVito, actor

Mr. Jeff Eastin, creator/producer of USA Network’s White Collar

 

AWARDS/GRANTS

Numerous awards at most of the country's best art festivals

08 Art MoCo Top 10 Pick of 2008

08 Indianapolis Art Center, Broad Ripple Art Festival Award

08 Milwaukee Art Museum, Lakefront Festival of the Arts Award

08 American Photography, AP24

08 Artexpo New York, Art Piece of the Week

08 World Photographic Arts, International Color Awards

07 American Photography, AP23

05 Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, OH, Purchase Award

03 Toronto Arts Council, Visual Arts Grant

02 Ontario Arts Council, Visual Arts Grant

 

COMMISSIONS

Virgin Records, Windsor Publications, Brafasco Fasteners, BLJC Facilities Management, Caribbean Pacific, CN Rail, Coinamatic, Enbridge Consumers Gas, Intercon Security, Maya Heat Transfer Technology, Montreal Board of Trade, Office Life Magazine, Key Porter Books, Amexon Property Management, Flora DiMenna Design, X-Design, Shields & Associates, Oxford Properties, Pro Per, Atelier Aurelien, Knapp & Associates , Mayfair Conservatories, Quartet Service Corp., Canadian Franchise Association, Picadilly Fashions, Hefele Makowka Design, Bell Canada, Studio Mars, No Excess, HS Building Supplies, Royal LePage, MediaEdge Communications, Sun Life, Bullock Associates, Sweeney Dale Interior Design, Total Logistics Control, UNICCO Facility Services, Pharma Medica

 

EDUCATION

89 BA Communication Studies, Concordia University, Montreal, QC

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