Emigdio Vasquez (Arizona 1939 - ) is an American artist and muralist. His artistic works and photorealistic style are studied and appreciated by art critics nation-wide. He is often recognized for his mural The Legacy Of Cesar Chavez.
Born in the mining town of Jerome, Arizona, his father worked for Phelps Dodge copper mines. In the early 1940s they moved to Orange, California. In kindergarten at Killefer Elementary, he began developing an interest in art. He copied the drawings in comic books and base them on stories his father told him about the Mexican Revolution. In the late 1950s he took up oil painting. In the mid 1960s, inspired by Diego Rivera, he painted his first mural, in his parents' patio. In 1979 he earned a Master of Fine Arts degee. His works have appeared in some of the milestone exhibitions of Chicano art, including the 1975 "Chicanarte" exhibit at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, and in UCLA's "Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation" in 1990. Most recently he was featured artist at the 2002 Orange County Fair and received an award for his painting "Obreros" at California's State Fair, Sacramento.
Cousin, Rachel Vasquez De La Riva, Richard and Angie De La Riva
Vasquez is the father of six children. His son, Emigdio Jr Carlos "Higgy" Vasquez is also an artist, and has assisted him on several mural projects. His ex-wife, Rosie Lopez Schelerth, has written much about Vasquez's early life and their marriage in her autobiography Hi! My Name is Chicken.