Arturo Luz, a prominent Filipino printmaker, sculptor, designer, and a key figure in the modern Neo-Realist movement in Philippine art, was born on November 20, 1926, in Manila, Republic of the Philippines. Influenced by Modernist painters such as Paul Klee, Luz explored a variety of styles and techniques, often embracing varying degrees of abstraction to create playful geometric figures and forms.

His formal education in art spanned several esteemed institutions: the School of Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, the Art School of the Brooklyn Museum in New York, and the Académie Grande Chaumière in Paris. In 1976, Luz became the founding director of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, a role he held until 1986.

Luz's work gained international acclaim through exhibitions such as the Philippine Cultural Exhibition in New York (1953), Arte de America y España (1963), the 11th São Paulo Biennial (1971), the Tokyo International Print Biennial (1974), and the 8th British International Print Biennale (1984). Recognizing his significant contributions to the arts, the Philippine government honored him with the title of National Artist in Visual Arts in 1997.