Enrique Alférez, born in Zacatecas, Mexico, lived nearly the entire 20th century. After service in the Mexican Revolution as a youth, he emigrated to Texas; studied in Chicago; and, in 1929, first made his way to Louisiana. For almost 70 years, he worked in New Orleans. His lasting imprint is seen among figurative sculptures, monuments, fountains, and architectural details in prominent locations from the Central Business District to the shore of Lake Pontchartrain and beyond.

Author Katie Bowler Young has gained unprecedented access to Alférez’s personal and family holdings and has crafted a poetic evocation of the life and work of this preeminent artist. Enrique Alférez: Sculptor is the latest entry in the well-received Louisiana Artists Biography series. The book, featuring more than 100 images of Alférez’s work in New Orleans and beyond, is the first in the series to center on sculpture and public art. The work was a finalist for the Housatonic Book Award for Nonfiction.

Enrique Alférez: Sculptor is made possible with generous support from The Helis Foundation and members of The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 2019 Bienville Circle and Laussat Society. 

Katie Bowler Young is the author of Through Water with Ease (Louisiana Literature Press, 2019) and State Street (Bull City Press, 2009). Her poetry and prose have appeared in the Southern Review, Midwest Quarterly, Carolina Quarterly, and Louisiana Literature, among other publications. Her awards include a Fulbright-Nehru International Education Award and the North Carolina Governor’s Award for Excellence for Outstanding Government Service. Katie earned degrees from the University of New Orleans and the Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers.

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WGNO: ENRIQUE ALFÉREZ: Sculptor, a new book about one of NOLA’s most renowned artists

Biography of sculptor Alférez recounts a long career, sometimes touched by controversyOpens in new tab

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