Miguel Angel Reyes - prints and biography

Biography

Miguel Angel Reyes (b. September 29, 1964, Colima, Mexico) is a Los Angeles–based painter, printmaker, muralist, and educator whose work bridges Chicano identity, LGBTQ+ visibility, and expressionist technique. Reyes immigrated to the United States in 1975, and after early years working in California’s Central Valley, his family settled in Los Angeles. He earned his BFA in Communication Arts from Otis Parsons School of Design in 1987.

Reyes began his career briefly in fashion but soon dedicated himself to painting and printmaking. His art is distinguished by its vibrant palette and expressive brushwork, influenced by Latin American traditions and shaped by contemporary concerns of identity, intimacy, and community. As an openly gay artist, Reyes has become recognized for integrating homoerotic and male erotic imagery into his work, a dimension that underscores themes of desire, vulnerability, and representation. His drawings and paintings often focus on the male figure, both idealized and candid, highlighting the body as a site of beauty and personal truth.

His commitment to public art is evident in murals across Los Angeles, including commissions for the Los Angeles MTA. His piece Hollywood/Argyle (1995–97) transformed a transit site into a dynamic community landmark. Reyes has also created powerful screenprints, such as Herido (1992), now in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. His works are further represented at institutions such as the Laguna Art Museum, Watts Towers Arts Center, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Blanton Museum of Art.

Reyes’s practice extends beyond the studio. He is Adjunct Associate Professor at Otis College of Art and Design, where he teaches illustration and entertainment design. His exhibitions include Dirty Duets (Tom of Finland Foundation, 2019), which highlighted his erotic drawings and situated his work in dialogue with queer cultural spaces.

Through his portraits, murals, and prints, Miguel Angel Reyes gives form to personal memory, cultural heritage, and queer identity—contributing an essential voice to contemporary American art.