(b. 1944, Laredo, Texas)

César A. Martínez lives and works as a full-time artist in San Antonio. Well known for his portraits that show bold, straightforward looking subjects. His style was partially inspired by photographer Richard Avedon and by the absence of intimate portraits of Mexican Americans. They have become iconic. His work has been exhibited internationally, nationally, and locally, including most notably a residency and exhibition at ArtPace in 1997.  In 1999, Martínez was the subject of a retrospective at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio.  His art has been extensively collected and is held in numerous public and private collections, including the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the El Paso Museum of Art in Texas, the Joe A. Diaz Collection in San Antonio, and the Cheech Marin Collection in Riverside, California.