Emilio Amero was a dominant figure in the Mexican Modern art movement. He was also a member of the first group of muralists, which included José Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera, to receive mural commissions in Post-Revolutionary Mexico. These murals were intended to generate pride and nationalism but they also provided the public with a newfound access to art.
Growing up in the midst of political and social chaos from the Mexican Revolution, Amero drew on the lessons of the upheaval and integrated these into his own practice whether it be murals, paintings, printmaking, photography, filmmaking, or illustrations. Amero was an avid lithographer and during his career he started several printmaking workshops and inspired legions of emerging artists.
Amero moved to Norman, Oklahoma, after teaching at the Cornish School in Seattle, and taught at the University of Oklahoma, where he developed an exemplary printmaking workshop. He retired in 1968 and died in Norman in 1976.