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The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center is hosting a special exhibition about Flaco Jiménez, who died on Thursday at the age of 86.
The exhibit is curated by local photographer Ramon Hernandez. It tells the life of Jiménez through pictures.
Santiago Jiménez, Flaco’s younger brother and a conjunto musician himself, was at the exhibition last Friday, the day after Flaco’s death. He said the loss of his brother was tragic not only for him, but also for San Antonio, Flaco’s hometown: “San Antonio lost a legend. San Antonio is crying too, not only me.”
However, he is confident that his brother's legacy will live on: “His life, his music, it's going to be remembered forever. That's for sure.”
He also emphasized his commitment to honoring the music of his late brother: “Believe it or not, I play my father's music. Mostly every day. I play my father's music. Now I'm going to have to play both of them, Flaco and Don Santiago. I'll be the last one to play.“
Flaco Jiménez won six Grammys, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and a National Medal of the Arts over the course of his 70-year-long career. He played multiple worldwide tours, and collaborated with artists such as Willie Nelson, The Rolling Stones, Ry Cooder, and Dwight Yoakam.
The exhibition is housed across the street from the Guadalupe Theater, a heart of San Antonio’s West Side. Christina Balli, the director of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, said Jiménez was an icon among Tejanos for bringing international attention to the local Tejano genre of conjunto.
“He was a Mexican American that played authentic Mexican American working-class music that was able to perform with rock and roll icons like The Rolling Stones” she said. “So he made Mexican Americans very proud. He made us very proud of our culture, that somebody, one of ours, was able to get that kind of recognition.”
In addition to his musical talent, Jiménez was known for being a kind soul. He won the Corazón" de Oro (Heart of Gold) Award in 2022 for his contributions to the San Antonio community from the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists.
Hernandez knew Jiménez personally; many of the pictures of Jiménez in the exhibit were taken by Hernandez himself. He said he remembers Jiménez fondly. “He had no ego problems. There was no vanity. He was just down to earth. He was raza, as they say.”
Hernandez also said that, despite Jiménez's international success, he never forgot his roots.
“He could go from playing [to a big] stadium in Europe to coming back, and a week later, you're trying to have a cantina or a small gathering playing accordion,” he added.
The exhibition of Flaco Jiménez's life at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center will be open from Tuesdays to Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
