The Bennett-Schmidt Lecture Series on the Higher Aim of Art
Luis Alvarez Roure: "A Conversation with Artist Luis Alvarez Roure"

Luis Álvarez Roure is an award-winning artist known for his figure and still-life paintings as well as his portraits of internationally known personalities such as Philip Glass, Paul Volcker, Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis, and Cándido Camero among others. He was the Draper Grand Prize winner and the People’s Choice Award of the 24th Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition celebrated in Atlanta, GA in April, 2022.

Luis was born and raised in Puerto Rico. At an early age, he found his passion for representational art, teaching himself to do meticulous drawings of people and objects. His parents encouraged him to take formal lessons but he declined it, fearing that it could make him lose interest. He also had a great appetite for music and his father enrolled him in piano lessons. The discipline and involvement his musical studies required, outweighed, abandoning drawing and painting for many years. In 2000, Luis moved to New York City to complete a Master’s Degree in Music, and it was during this time he felt the urge to find an academic program to foster his visual arts practice. He then enrolled at the Art Students League of New York in painting, drawing, and anatomy classes where he studied with the late master, Nelson Shanks. These years at the League were very important and a key point for his development as an artist, offering Luis a strong sense of confidence and direction.