Jesús Bautista Moroles was an American sculptor, known for his monumental abstract granite works. He lived and worked in Rockport, Texas, where his studio and workshop were based, and where all of his work was prepared and finished before being shipped out for installation. In 2008, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. Over two thousand works by Moroles are held in public and private collections in the United States, China, Egypt, France, Italy, Japan, and Switzerland.
Career
Moroles was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He earned an associate degree from El Centro College in Dallas, Texas in 1975, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Texas in 1978. Also in 1978, he was an apprentice to sculptor Luis Jiménez. After studying for a year in Italy in 1980, he returned to Texas and began producing his trademark large-scale granite sculptures. Jesús also served for 4 years in the United States Air Force. One of his first commissions was "Floating Mesa Fountain" for the Albuquerque Museum. In 1987, he created one of his best-known pieces, "Lapstrake," for CBS Plaza in New York City. His largest work is the Houston Police Officer's Memorial, which was installed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. In 1995, he created three rose-colored granite works for the entrance to the Edwin A. Ulrich Museum in Wichita, Kansas, which are entitled Granite Landscape, Granite Weaving, and Fountain Wall. In 1997, he created the public art piece "The Fallen Friend" for the New Mexico Veterans Memorial Park, which consists of 84 Portland cement pylons. In 2005, he installed the work Gateway Stele at Lubben Plaza in Dallas, Texas. His works are displayed in numerous museums in the United States and other countries, including the personal White House Collection, the , the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Smithsonian Institution. In June 2015, Moroles's work Spirit Inner Columns was installed in the Hall Arts complex in Dallas. The work consists of four 15-foot, 10,000 pound granite columns. On June 15, 2015 Moroles was killed in a car accident on I-35 near Jarrell, TX. At the time of his death, he was leading a student internship program at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, where he had been artist-in-residence and primary designer for the university's Coming Together Park. Moroles's studio in Rockport will work with USAO to finish the park, and the university is planning an event honoring Moroles for September 2015.
While he studied in Italy, Moroles was inspired by the marble-carving techniques he observed. When he returned to Texas, he decided that he would focus on stone as an artistic medium. To cut granite, Moroles used diamond saws. Moroles's works include both polished and natural granite surfaces in what he described as a "harmonious coexistence." He described his works as a "discussion" of how man interacts with nature, and he wanted viewers not only to observe his sculptures but also to touch the different surfaces.
Awards
Moroles received state and national-level awards for his work. In 2007, he was awarded the Texas Medal of the Arts. In 2008, Moroles was awarded the National Medal of Arts. In 2011, he was designated a Texas State Artist by the Texas Commission on the Arts.
