PANIAGUA, Luis (1950)

Born in Salamanca, Spain, Luis Paniagua is a Hispano-Canadian sculptor who has been sculpting with stone since his childhood. After a short-lived career as an accountant and a stint in psychology, he began taking classes at the École des beaux-arts in Paris in the early 1970s. Though Paniagua taught himself to sculpt at a young age, he later studied sculpture with French sculptor Pierre Nègre and helped open a community art studio in France. In his work, the artist mostly draws inspiration from nature, animals and foreign cultures. For his sculptures, Paniagua uses several materials, including wood, stone, steel and concrete. In 1975, he immigrated to Quebec and settled down in the Laurentians. Some of his pieces belong to Ville de Mont-Tremblant’s public art collection.