Elsa Núñez is the recipient of the National Fine Arts Award, instituted as a yearly incentive for the development of the visual arts through the recognition of their most significant practitioners, so that current and future generations will value their contributions to Dominican culture. The award includes a diploma and, on this occasion, RD$650,000 provided by the Ministry of Culture. The awards ceremony will be held in the near future. Elsa Núñez stands out in Dominican painting for her unique handling of color and light. At the National Fine Arts School, where she graduated in 1962, Núñez was influenced by her teacher Gilberto Hernández Ortega. By 1960, she was declared the most important painter of her generation by Darío Suro. Between 1970 and 1974 she lived in Madrid, Spain, doing postgraduate work at the San Fernando Fine Arts School.