Roberto Gil de Montes was born in 1950 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and currently lives and works in La Peñita, Nayarit. As a teenager, he moved to East Los Angeles and studied painting and drawing at Chouinard Art Institute. He later earned both his BFA and MFA from Otis Art Institute of Los Angeles County. An active participant in the Chicano art movement, Gil de Montes co-founded the influential experimental art space LACE. His practice spans painting, photography, and ceramics, often engaging with political imagery, historical memory, and social realities. In 1980, he worked at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City, assisting in the publication of a special issue of Artes Visuales devoted to Chicano art. His career reflects a sustained dialogue between artistic practice, cultural identity, and transnational experience.