Having grown up in a milieu of socio-political and economic fragmentations, especially during World War II, Cesar Legaspi (1917-1994) contributed to significant discourses on industrialization and social inequalities. He studied Commercial Art at the UP School of Fine Arts in 1936, eventually continuing his art training under Pablo Amorsolo. He then pursued further studies at the Cultura Hispanica in Madrid, and spent a month under the tutelage of French-American surrealist painter and printmaker Henri Bernard Goetz at the Académie Ranson in Paris.

Legaspi was included in Victorio Edades' list of "Thirteen Moderns" and, in the postwar years, was among the pioneers of the Neo-Realist movement. Despite being color blind, the contrasting tonalities in each of his works inspire iridescence and wholeness to his subjects and stories. He sought to converse with a variety of modernist themes, ranging from postwar trauma, to fast-paced, ever-changing scientific and technological innovations.

He also participated in several international exhibitions, such as the First Plastic Arts Conference in Rome (1953), the São Paulo Biennial in Graphic Arts (1967, 1969), and the Wraxall Gallery in London (1982) with fellow artists Malang and National Artist BenCab. He held retrospective exhibitions at the Museum of Philippine Art (1978), the National Museum (1988), the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (1988), Luz Gallery (1990), and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (1990).

Legaspi was a member of the Art Association of the Philippines and the Saturday Group until his passing on April 7, 1994. He received many awards and recognitions, among them the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan award from the City of Manila (1972), the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining award (1990), and the National Artist Award for Visual Arts (1990).

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