Luis Alvarez Roure
Luis Alvarez Roure is a figurative and still-life painter better known for his portraits of internationally known figures such as Philip Glass, Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis, Larisa Martínez, Paul Volcker, Cándido Camero, and Octavio Vázquez Rodríguez. In 2019 he was a finalist at the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition with his painting "Hidden Wounds", included in the exhibition The Outwin 2019: American Portraiture Today held at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.
The same year his portrait of Philip Glass was part of the prestigious Recent Acquisitions exhibition also at the Smithsonian. In 2020 The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. acquired the portrait of the virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell for their permanent collection, making this, along with the portrait of Philip Glass, his second painting to be acquired by the Smithsonian Institution.
Other important American and European institutions to own Roure's work include The Museu Europeu d'Art Modern (MEAM) in Barcelona, Spain; The Federal Reserve in Washington D.C; The Steinway Hall in New York City and the Warren County Courthouse in Warren, P.A.
In 2018, Peter Trippi, Editor in Chief of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine described Roure's virtuosity in two strengths. "First, he has perfected his draftsmanship through constant sketching of tonal studies taken directly from the paintings of past masters...Roure's second strength is the empathy he so evidently feels with his sitters. Their expressions and posses convey the sense of life that comes not only through observation but also through an intuitive connection between people...".
His work has appeared in major publications including Los Angeles Times, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, American Art Collector Magazine, The Outwin 2019 catalog, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's "What's On", MEAM Catalog of Works, Vanity Fair, Downbeat Magazine, American Artist Drawing Magazine, The Guide Artists Magazine, Piano Lessons With Claudio Arrau and the Art Renewal Center Catalog Raisonné among others. He has also been interviewed by Puerto Rico's leading newspaper El Nuevo Día and for NBC News television segment "Visiones" and YouTube artist's interview program "Desde el Arte". In 2020, Luis was named Living Master by the Art Renewal Center Organization.