Early Life, Family and Training

Emilio Amero was born in 1901 in Ixtlahuaca, Mexico. His formative years were shaped by the social and political upheaval of the Mexican Revolution, an era of profound transformation that would eventually inform his diverse practice as a painter, illustrator, muralist, and educator. During his primary school years, he sat in classrooms alongside Rufino Tamayo, sharing the early education of a generation that would redefine Mexican modernism.

His formal artistic training followed a path through the essential institutions of the era. He studied at the Escuela al Aire Libre de Santa Anita Zacatlamanco before moving on to the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes. These formative experiences provided the technical foundation for a career that would eventually span multiple mediums, from the precision of lithography to the experimental nature of filmmaking and photography.

Activity in Mexico and New York

The social and political shifts of Post-Revolutionary Mexico provided the backdrop for Amero's emergence as a significant figure in the Mexican Modern art movement. He was among the first group of muralists to receive official commissions during this era of reconstruction. His early professional contributions included assisting José Clemente Orozco on the murals for the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria, a period that helped define his approach to large-scale composition and public art.

His trajectory eventually led him away from the Mexican landscape toward the bustling energy of New York City. During his time in the United States, he found steady work as an illustrator for various publications and the Saks Fifth Avenue department store. This period of commercial engagement allowed him to refine his technical precision before his return to Mexico City in 1930. Upon his return, he focused his energy on the technical mastery of printmaking, establishing a successful lithography workshop at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes (ENBA).

Teaching and Artistic Circles

Amero’s influence extended far beyond the canvas, finding a steady rhythm in the classrooms where he shaped the next generation of creators. During his time in New York, he served as a teacher at the Florence Cane School of Art, a period that coincided with his deep engagement with the avant-garde. His social and intellectual circles were vast; he developed a close friendship with the poet Federico García Lorca, a connection that even inspired a Dada-esque film script titled Viaje a la Luna. These associations placed him at the center of a shifting cultural landscape, where the boundaries between poetry, cinema, and visual art were constantly being redrawn.

As a member of the first generation of Mexican Renaissance artists, his presence in academic settings was marked by a commitment to technical mastery. He was a dedicated educator who sought to formalize the study of printmaking, establishing a significant lithography workshop at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes. His students included many who would become notable figures in their own right, such as Olga Costa and Carlos Mérida. This dedication to instruction followed him across borders, as he moved from the established art scenes of Mexico and New York to the Pacific Northwest.

In 1940, he transitioned to the Cornish School in Seattle, Washington, joining an environment that attracted various innovators. His tenure there was characterized by the same experimental spirit he brought to his own photography and filmmaking. Whether through the delicate use of multiple exposures or the structured discipline of a print workshop, Amero’s career was defined by this dual identity: he was both a practitioner of modernism and a vital conduit for its transmission through teaching.

Later Years and Academic Career

In 1940, Amero moved to Seattle, Washington, to join the faculty of the Cornish School. This period marked a significant transition toward a life centered on pedagogy and the technical nuances of printmaking. His presence in the Pacific Northwest allowed him to continue his influence on students, bridging the gap between the Mexican modernism of his youth and the evolving academic landscapes of the United States.

The trajectory of his teaching career led him to Oklahoma in 1946, when he accepted a professorship at the University of Oklahoma. It was here that he truly solidified his reputation as an educator. He established a world-class print workshop on campus, a space that became a vital center for technical experimentation and the study of lithography. His commitment to the craft ensured that his methods and his passion for the medium would be passed down to a new generation of practitioners.

After decades of academic service, he retired in 1968. He remained in the region until his death in 1976 in Norman, Oklahoma. His long tenure in the American university system transformed his role from a practitioner of the Mexican Renaissance into a foundational figure in American printmaking education.

Where to See the Works Today

The physical remnants of Amero's diverse practice are distributed across several significant institutions in the United States. His contributions to the visual landscape of the twentieth century are preserved within the collections of the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. These holdings reflect the breadth of his engagement with both the Mexican and American artistic spheres during his long career.

In the southern United States, the Dallas Museum of Art also maintains works by the artist. For those interested in his presence in the Pacific Northwest, the Art Museum, Seattle holds his work titled Figure, which dates from about 1944. These various repositories ensure that his experiments in lithography, photography, and painting remain accessible to scholars and the public alike.