Diego Romero (artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Diego Romero
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| Born | 1964 (age 60–61) Berkeley, California, U.S.
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| Nationality | Cochiti Pueblo, United States of America |
| Education | (MFA) University of California, Los Angeles, (BFA) Otis College of Art and Design, Institute of American Indian Arts |
| Known for | ceramics, printmaking, painting |
| Movement | Pueblo art, Native pop art |
| Spouse(s) | Cara Romero |
Diego Romero (born 1964) is a famous American artist. He is from the Cochiti Pueblo tribe. He is well-known for making beautiful pottery and ceramics. Today, he lives in New Mexico.
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About Diego Romero's Early Life
Diego Romero was born in Berkeley, California, in 1964. His father, Santiago Romero, was a Cochiti Pueblo Indian. His mother, Nellie Guth, was from Berkeley.
Diego grew up in Berkeley. But he spent his summer vacations with his grandparents. They lived at the pueblo in Cochiti, New Mexico.
His father was also an artist who painted traditional art. Diego's brother, Mateo Romero, is a painter too. Diego's wife, Cara Romero, is a talented photographer.
Diego Romero's Art Career
Diego Romero is a third-generation artist from the Cochiti Pueblo. He mainly creates pottery. He also makes prints. He even worked with another artist, Nathan Begaye, on pottery.
His Education in Art
After high school, Diego went to art school. He studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe. Later, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree. This was from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. In 1993, he received his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. He earned this from the University of California, Los Angeles.
His Unique Art Style
Romero's pottery mixes traditional Cochiti Pueblo art with his own interests. He loves comic books, superheroes, and ancient stories. He also enjoys modern pop culture.
He uses the old ways of making pottery, like coiling clay. But he adds his own unique pictures and painting styles. His art often tells stories. These stories use humor and sometimes strong messages. They talk about what it's like to be a Native American today.
He gets ideas from ancient Ancestral Pueblo and Mimbres ceramics. He also looks at Greek pottery and modern pop culture.
The "Chongo Brothers" Series
In the 1990s, Diego Romero became very famous for his "Chongo Brothers" pottery. A chongo is a Native man from the Southwest. He wears his hair in a traditional bun.
Some of the characters in his art look like figures from ancient Greek paintings. They have strong, idealized bodies. Romero's art explores different identities of Native people. It connects modern life with ancient traditions.
In 2006, a collection of his artwork traveled around Europe. His art is shown in galleries in New York and Santa Fe. One of these is the Robert Nichols Gallery.
Where to See His Art
Diego Romero's artwork is part of many important collections. You can find his pieces in museums around the world:
- British Museum, London, England, UK
- Cartier Foundation, Paris, France
- Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY: His piece Dough Bowl (1994) is there.
- Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg, VA
- National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, DC: His piece She-Wana's Dream (2008) is displayed here.
- National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
- New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM
- Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA
- Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at Brown University, Providence, RI
See also
