Cuevas had brief formal training as an artist when he attended
the Esmeralda School of Arts in Mexico City, but this was no
obstacle for the self taught painter who has become one of the
most noted artists of our day. With his beautiful ink and pencil
drawings and his impressive prints he has gained international
fame. Some of his work has served as illustrations for books
throughout the world. In 1992 the Museo José Luis Cuevas
was inaugurated in Mexico City in his honor.
In 2004, MARCO, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey,
and one of the highest regarded art institutions in Mexico held
an individual exhibit of works by Cuevas. In September of that
year he got a PhD Honoris Causa from the Universidad Veracruzana
in Xalapa. Among the important attendees of this ceremony were
the Governor of Veracruz, Miguel Aleman Velasco and the Dean
of the University, Victor Arredondo. The proposal for this event
was made by the Ramon Alva Gallery and was approved unanimously
by the University Council. "We wish to recognize his importance,
transcendence and influence in contemporary Mexican art, to
which we can vouch for his charisma, commitment and imagination,
not only as a creator but also as a promoter of Mexican culture"
said Arredondo of the artist.
