César A. Martínez American, b. 1944
Martínez was born in Laredo, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&I University, Kingsville in 1968. He now lives and works in San Antonio, Texas. A major figure in the Chicano Art Movement of the late 1970s and 1980s, Martínez’s portraits are icons of Mexican American art history. Deeply rooted in his native South Texas and its Mexican American culture, Martínez’s work reflects a broad knowledge of the western art canon and finds inspiration from color-field paintings, Mexican architecture, and photography. Martínez is drawn to the way in which Mexican American family photographs served as intimate, personal portraits, during a time when only white individuals or groups were being iconized in paintings. Martínez offsets his melancholic subjects against a vibrant palette of clothes in tension against abstract backgrounds. The individuals in Martínez’s works are merely hybrids derived and elaborated from many different photographs found in high school yearbooks, obituaries, newspapers, and other public sources. Martínez explains “The idea of a very frontal, and very emotionless, almost expressionless face just staring at you, came from Richard Avedon’s work.”
The background in his paintings is like an upright wall layered with vibrant colors that are often seen in traditional Mexican architecture as well as in the more modern works of Mexican architects like Luis Barragan and Ricardo Legorreta. In Mexican architecture, as in Martínez’s pieces, the louder the colors the more powerful the statement. Now, instead of a skyline, the upper horizontal band of color can be seen as an elevated tier of paint functioning architecturally to distinguish the top frieze from the lower main part of the building. “I’ve never really done art that I would say is political. But I think the kind of art that becomes politicized, as in my case and in many of my contemporaries, is simply because it had a Chicano perspective or Chicano imagery. The Chicano Movement was such an overpowering thing that I couldn’t help but become associated with it. The Chicano Movement was a renaissance in thinking about us and in creating those institutions and images and writings that reflected who we are. They were non-existent at that time, we had nothing to relate to, so we had to make it up as we went along. And that was the road to a deeper understanding of who we are.” – César A. Martínez.
Martínez’s work has been included in landmark exhibits like Hispanic Art in the United States: Thirty Contemporary Painters & Sculptors; La Frontera/The Border: Art About the Mexican/U.S. Border Experience; and Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation 1965-1985. He was honored with a solo exhibition, and accompanying book, at the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas in 2009. His work has been exhibited and is part of the permanent collection of institutions like the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC.; the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Brooklyn Art Museum, Brooklyn, NY; Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City; LACMA, Los Angeles, CA; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Chicago, IL.
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César A. MartínezSerape: 28 IX 23, 2023Acrylic on Arches watercolor paper22.5 x 30 in
57.1 x 76.2 cm -
César A. MartínezSerape: Pirulí , 2023Acrylic on Arches watercolor paper22.5 x 30 in
57.1 x 76.2 cm -
César A. MartínezLa Mona Lupe, 2021Digital print30 x 22 in
76.2 x 55.9 cm3/44 -
César A. MartínezLa Tortuga, 2021Acrylic on Muslin28 x 22 in
71.1 x 55.9 cm
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César A. MartínezUntitled (11Sept20), 2020Graphite on Stonehenge paper15 x 11 in
38.1 x 27.9 cm -
César A. MartínezUntitled (8Jun20), 2020Graphite on Stonehenge paper15 x 11 in
38.1 x 27.9 cm -
César A. MartínezVeterano, 2020Acrylic on canvas
54 x 44 in
137.2 x 111.8 cm -
César A. MartínezPoncho, 2019Graphite on Stonehenge paper15 x 11"
38.1 x 27.9 cm -
César A. MartínezUntitled (22Nov19), 2019Graphite on Stonehenge paper15 x 11 in
38.1 x 27.9 cm -
César A. MartínezSra Rivas During the 1930's , 2014Acrylic on paper26 x 22.4 in
66 x 56.9 cm -
César A. MartínezGuadalupe G., 2012Acrylic on muslin28 x 28 in
71.1 x 71.1 cm -
César A. MartínezSerape: Sombra Verde, 2010Acrylic on paper22.37 x 30 in
56.83 x 76.2 cm -
César A. MartínezSerape: Tunas, 2010Acrylic on paper19.75 x 26 in
50.16 x 66 cm -
César A. MartínezBato con Sunglasses, 2009Copperplate line and aquatint etching, University of Texas, San Antonio.19.5 x 16 in
49.5 x 40.6 cm20 / 30 -
César A. MartínezGolden Bato, 19903-color Lithograph
30 x 22 in
76.2 x 55.9 cmEdition 36 of 100 -
César A. MartínezBato Azul, 19864-color Lithograph. KJH Press, Austin, TX by Ken Hale Master Printmaker.
Edition of 44, 4 AP, 2 CTP
30 x 22 in
76.2 x 55.9 cm20/44
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“Xicanx” Exhibition Surveys Chicana/o/x Art in San Antonio
Dr. Ruben C. Cordova , Glasstire, July 20, 2024 -
Ruiz-Healy Art 2024 Museum Acquisitions
Ruiz-Healy Art, June 21, 2024 -
Ruiz-Healy Art's 2023 Year In Review
Ruiz-Healy Art, December 28, 2023 -
Texas Arts Organizations Announce Recent Acquisitions
Jessica Fuentes, Glasstire, June 21, 2023 -
Cesar Martinez’s Art Acquired By New York Museum of Modern Art
Ricardo Romo, Ph.D, Latinos in America, May 24, 2023 -
New York's MoMA acquires three works by San Antonio artist César A. Martínez
Kelly Nelson, San Antonio Current, May 8, 2023 -
The Year in Latinx Art, From Overdue Retrospectives to Promising New Museums
Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews, December 30, 2022 -
Patricia Ruiz-Healy champions Latinx and South Texas artists in both San Antonio and Manhattan
Bryan Rindfuss, San Antonio Current, November 4, 2022 -
Winter Newsletter | Ruiz-Healy Art
Ruiz Healy Art , February 4, 2022 -
A Deserved Homecoming: César A. Martínez at the Laredo Center for the Arts
Liz Kim, Glasstire, January 19, 2022 -
Latinx Art Got More Visibility Than Ever in 2021. What Will Change Going Forward?
Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews, December 30, 2021 -
San Antonio’s arts community reflects on the milestones of another challenging year
Bryan Rindfuss, San Antonio Current, December 29, 2021 -
Ruiz-Healy Art Celebrates its Quinceañera
Kathleen Petty, San Antonio Magazine, November 19, 2021 -
News Rundup, June 3, 2021
Arts Alive San Antonio, June 4, 2021
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McNay Print Fair
May 3 - 5, 2024 San AntonioRuiz Healy Art is delighted to participate in the McNay Print Fair , hosted by the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Texas, one of the sole events of its...Read more -
IFPDA Fine Art Print Fair
October 26 - 29, 2023 New York CityRuiz-Healy Art is pleased to announce the gallery's sixth year of participation in the 30th edition of the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA), the world's largest art fair for...Read more -
McNay Print Fair
May 6 - 7, 2023 San AntonioRuiz-Healy Art is thrilled to participate in the 27th edition of the McNay Print Fair, the only major print fair in the Southwestern United States.Read more -
Alchemy: Works on Paper
February 22 - April 1, 2023 San AntonioRuiz-Healy Art is pleased to present Alchemy: Works on Paper. The exhibition will present works by Jesse Amado, Richard "Ricky" Armendariz, Cecilia Biagini, Gaby Collins-Fernandez, Margaret Craig, Andres Ferrandis, Pedro Friedeberg, Cisco Jiménez, Consuelo Jimenez Underwood, Leigh Anne Lester, César A. Martínez, Kanako Namura, Lina Puerta, and Ethel Shipton. Ruiz-Healy Art is proud to be one of only three dealers in the state of Texas that holds membership to the International Fine Print Dealers Association, an organization that maintains the highest standards for works on paper.Read more
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Contemporary Latinx and Latin American Printmakers
September 28 - November 4, 2022 New York CityRuiz-Healy Art is thrilled to present Contemporary Latinx and Latin American Printmakers. The exhibition will present works by César A. Martínez, Juan de Dios Mora, Marta Sánchez, Richard Armendariz, Moses Ros, Pedro Friedeberg, Patssi Valdez, Johanna Calle, Liliana Porter, Michael Menchaca, Francisco Toledo, Carlos Amorales, Vicente Rojo, Cisco Jiménez, Rodolfo Morales, Dr. Lakra, Modesto Bernardo, Ethel Shipton, Alejandro Diaz, Celia Álvarez Muñoz, Roger Von Gunten, Pedro Diego Alvarado-Rivera, Rodolfo Morales, and Carlos Rosales-Silva.Read more -
McNay Print Fair
April 29 - May 1, 2022 San AntonioRuiz-Healy Art is thrilled to participate in the 26th edition of the McNay Print Fair, the only major print fair in the Southwestern United States. Ruiz-Healy Art is delighted to feature prints by Marta Sánchez, Richard Armendariz, Juan de Dios Mora, Ethel Shipton, and Celia Álvarez Muñoz, among others.Read more -
Ruiz-Healy Art: Quinceañera
November 18, 2021 - January 29, 2022 San AntonioRuiz-Healy Art is pleased to announce Ruiz-Healy Art: Quinceañera, an exhibition commemorating the fifteen-year anniversary of Ruiz-Healy Art in San Antonio, Texas. The exhibition features work by artists that have...Read more -
César A. Martínez: Mi Gente
November 4, 2021 - February 18, 2022 New York CityRuiz-Healy Art is pleased to announce César A. Martínez: Mi Gente an exhibition of paintings and drawings of Martinez’s iconic cast of Batos, Pachucos, and Rucas. This is the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery.Read more
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E La Nave Va
June 9 - August 14, 2021 San AntonioRuiz-Healy Art is delighted to present E La Nave Va at our San Antonio gallery featuring works by Fernando Andrade, Richard Armendariz, Cecilia Biagini, Nate Cassie, Ana Fernandez, Leigh Anne Lester, César A. Martínez, Cristina Muñiz, and Mark Schlesinger. The exhibition opens on Wednesday, June 9th at 6PM and will be on view until Saturday, August 14th.Read more -
Frieze New York
May 8 - 15, 2020 New York CityRuiz-Healy Art is proud to present the work of César Martínez for Frieze New York 2020 which will be viewable online due to COVID-19. César Martínez (b. 1944, Laredo, TX) is a contemporary artist who lives and works in San Antonio, and he is a major figure in the Chicano Art Movement.Read more -
McNay Print Fair
March 4 - 5, 2017 San AntonioRuiz-Healy Art participates in the McNay's 21st Annual Print Fair. Featured artists include: César A. Martínez, Ethel Shipton, Nate Cassie, Graciela Iturbide, Chuck Ramirez, Pedro Friedeberg, Pedro Diego Alvarado, Jesse Amado, and Richard Armendariz, among others.Read more -
Perennial Boundaries
October 27, 2016 - January 21, 2017 San AntonioFeaturing an Art Talk contextualizing the exhibition, Perennial Boundaries focuses on the socio-political experience of the U.S/Mexico border and Texas. Showcasing the artwork of Margarita Cabrera, César A. Martínez, Fernando Andrade, and Michael Menchaca.Read more
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César A. Martínez: Mi Gente I Ruiz-Healy Art
Essay by Rodrigo Moura 2022Hardcover, 34 pagesRead more
Publisher: Ruiz-Healy Art
ISBN: 9798210026057
Dimensions: 8×10 in, 20×25 cm -
Icons & Symbols of the Borderland
Celia Alvarez-Munoz, Richard 'Ricky' Armendariz, Cesar A. Martinez Diana Molina, 2020Hardcover, 192 pages pagesRead more
Publisher: Schiffer
ISBN: 0764358936
Dimensions: 10 x 0.9 x 10 in -
Richard Armendariz, César A. Martínez, Katie Pell and Chuck Ramirez.
Right Here, Right Now: San Antonio, CAM, Houston. Essay by Dean Daderko Essay by Dean Daderko with an Introduction by Bill Arning, 2018Hardcover, 115 pages pagesRead more
Publisher: Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
ISBN: 978-1-933619-72-9
Dimensions: 7.5 X 10 in -
VOZ : Selections from the UTSA Collection, 2018
Essay by Arturo Infante Almeida 2018Hardcopy, 106 pagesRead more
Publisher: Centro de Artes
ISBN: 978-0-9915043-3-6 -
Fernando Andrade, Margarita Cabrera, César A. Martínez, and Michael Menchaca
Perennial Boundaries I Ruiz-Healy Art 2016Hardcover, 50 pagesRead more
Publisher: Ruiz-Healy Art
ISBN: 1366898664
Dimensions: 8 x 10" -
Hare & Hound Press + Artpace: The Art of Collaboration
Jesse Amado, Richard 'Ricky' Armendariz, Chuck Ramirez, Nate Cassie. Cesar A Martinez Amada Cruz, 2014Paperback, 120 pagesRead more
Publisher: Hare & Hound Press
ISBN: 1888302070
Dimensions: 9 x 11 x 0.5" -
César A. Martínez and Richard Armendariz
Estampas de la Raza: Contemporary Mexican American Prints from the Romo Collection Essays by Lyle W. Williams and Carlos F. Jackson, 2012Hardcover, 152 pagesRead more
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 9780916677589
Dimensions: 9 x 0.88 x 11 in -
Art at Our Doorstep: San Antonio Writers and Artists
Jesse Amado, Chuck Ramirez, Nate Cassie, Constance Lowe, Ethel Shipton, and others Editors: Riley Robinson and Nan Cuba, 2008Hardcover, 224 pagesRead more
Publisher: Trinity University Press
ISBN: 1595340394
Dimensions: 8.75 x 1 x 10.25 in -
Phantom Sightings: Art after the Chicano Movement I Alejandro Diaz I César A. Martínez
Essays by Rita Gonzalez, Howard N. Fox & Chon A. Noriega Rita Gonzalez, Howard N. Fox & Chon A. Noriega, 2008Hardcover, 240 p pagesRead more
Publisher: University of California Press
ISBN: 0520255631
Dimensions: 10.5 x 10.5 -
Contemporary Chicana and Chicano Art: Artists, Works, Culture, and Education
Essays by Gary D. Keller, Mary Erickson, Kaytie Johnson, and Joaquín Alvarado Gary D. Keller, Mary Erickson, Kaytie Johnson, Joaquín Alvarado, 2003 Read more -
César A. Martínez: A Retrospective I McNay Art Museum
Essays by Dr. Carey Rote and Dr. Jacinto Quirarte Interview by Dr. Jacinto Quirarte, 1999Hardcover, 108 pages pagesRead more
Publisher: Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum
ISBN: 0916677435
Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.25 x 11 in -
Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation, 1965-1985
Celia Alvarez Muñoz, Mel Casas, César A. Martínez Richard Criswold Del Castillo, Teresa McKenna & Yvonne Yarbro-Bejarano, editors, 1991Softcover, 373 pagesRead more
Publisher: Wight Art Gallery, University of California, Los Angeles
ISBN: 0943739152
Dimensions: 9.25 x 1.25 x 12.5 in