Renowned as a distinguished and prominent Filipino artist, Rene Robles has established himself through decades of active and prolific art creation, encompassing a wide range of subjects such as portraits, still lifes, nudes, landscapes, murals, figuration, and abstraction. His paintings often provoke contemplation on the nature of art and the role of the artist.

Robles' exceptional imagination and creativity distinguish him among the modernist painters of the Philippines, and he is among the select few Filipino artists who have achieved success in both America and Europe. He is the founder and advocate of an art style known as Assertionism, which possesses its own unique iconography and belief systems.

Born Ireneo San Agustian Robles, Jr. in Lucerna City, Philippines, in 1950, Robles has been an active practicing artist since 1970. He currently resides and works in the Philippines. He obtained his degree from the University of Santo Tomas College of Architecture & Fine Arts, where he was honored as a Rector's Scholar in 1976. Additionally, he pursued further art studies at the National Academy of Design, School of Fine Arts in 1990 and the Art Students League in New York in 1989. He has been awarded study grants and has undertaken study tours to visit museums in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium.

Robles has garnered international recognition as an artist, showcasing his work in over 70 solo exhibitions across Europe, the USA, and Asia. He is a recipient of multiple awards and has authored numerous books dedicated to his Assertionism art. The art movement itself was founded by Robles in New Jersey, USA, in 1986, with its underlying principle emphasizing the transformative and transcendent power of art.