Enrique Alferez (Mexican/New Orleans, 1901-1999)

Enrique Alferez (Mexican/New Orleans, 1901-1999) , "Vietnam", 1990, bronze, h. 47 in., wood base. Note: Born in Mexico in 1901, Enrique Alferez’s life spanned almost the entirety of the 20th century. Alferez settled in New Orleans in 1929, an eclectic city with a thriving art scene. In 1952, he met his wife ,Peggy Selway, at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. Doug MacCash described their first meeting as such: “Her porcelain skin, ice-blue eyes and straight blond hair shone against her black velvet dress, attracting the attention of the dark, handsome man carving the ham—with a machete.” The machete-wielding mystery man was Alferez, who was immediately smitten by this registered nurse from Harrisburg, PA. It took a year of wooing before she would agree to be his wife. The two would split their time between Mexico and New Orleans. Peggy proved to be the perfect counterbalance to the fiery artist. In Peggy he found an intellectual equal described as the artist’s “other self.” She was a passionate person: “… a rapacious reader, consuming countless books and periodicals, feeding her insatiable need for knowledge of current events.” She was also a vehement protestor of the Vietnam War, a feeling shared by her husband. Noted as a superlative example of Alferez's large-scale work, "Vietnam" on offer here is his own poignant take on one of he and Peggy’s more fervent causes. This remarkable large-scale installation bronze, which has been on display in the Helis Foundation Sculpture Garden since 2015, is the largest sculpture by Alferez offered at auction to date. Different than many of Alferez's figures, which are often serenely still, this work illustrates the artist's remarkable ability to insinuate movement and action through the rigid medium of bronze. The woman, a mother, is caught mid-stride carrying her baby to safety from unseen foes as she flees. The kinetic frenzy of the wind and war-ravaged backdrop is implied through the expression on her face, the baby’s legs akimbo in her embrace, and the flowing rendering of her hair and clothing. In focusing on the mother and child, the horrors and destruction of war are implied, albeit rather poetically, through Alferez’s elegant style. The resulting effect is a sensitive and moving masterpiece, replete with beauty and meaning. Ref.: MacCash, Doug. “Peggy Alferez”. The Times Picayune. Aug. 22, 2006. www.obits.nola.com. Accessed Apr. 22, 2020