Alfredo Ramos Martínez

Alfredo Ramos Martínez (1871-1946) was a pioneering Mexican painter, muralist, and educator widely regarded as the father of modern Mexican art. He founded Mexico’s influential Escuelas de Pintura al Aire Libre (Open Air Painting Schools), encouraging artists to paint directly from nature and helping shape a distinctly Mexican artistic identity. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1929, he continued to create luminous portraits, landscapes, and floral compositions inspired by Mexico. His work is held in major museum collections including LACMA, SFMOMA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.