BIOGRAPHY
Adán Hernández was born in Childress, Texas, on October 15, 1951, and grew up in Robstown before moving to San Antonio as a teenager.
For more than two decades, Adán dedicated himself passionately to painting, exhibiting his work in museums across the United States and Mexico. His breakthrough came in 1991, when Academy Award–winning film director Taylor Hackford discovered his art.
That moment changed everything.
Hackford commissioned Adán to create more than twenty original paintings, drawings, and a mural for the 1993 cult classic Blood In Blood Out. What began as a film project became something much greater. Adán poured his heart into the work — painting actors, life in the barrios, and the spirit of the script itself. His creations went far beyond their cinematic purpose, resonating deeply with audiences around the world.
His art soon entered private and public collections globally. Museums such as the San Antonio Museum of Art showcased his work, and two of his pieces became part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Beyond his artistic achievements, Adán gave back to his community — visiting schools, sharing his story, and encouraging young people from the barrios to find strength and pride through creativity. Reflecting on his art, Adán once said:
“The high drama and highly charged content in my work reflect the day-to-day epic struggle of life in the barrio. Here, the challenge to overcome overwhelming adversity, which we celebrate in films, is a common occurrence.”
Adán Hernández passed away on May 15, 2021, at the age of 69, from complications related to diabetes. His legacy endures — not only through his pioneering role as the godfather of Chicano Noir, but also through the lives and imaginations he continues to inspire.
Adan (right) with director Taylor Hackford (left) and Production Designer Bruno Rubeo in 1993.
Adan with Academy Award-winning director Taylor Hackford (right) and his wife Academy Award-winning actress Helen Mirren (left). © Courtesy of The Estate of Adan Hernandez
After Adan died in 2021, the "Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture" ("The Cheech") officially opened in Riverside, California. It is a part of the Riverside Art Museum. The center, located in a former library, is designed to be a "worldwide home for Chicano art and culture," fostering a cultural renaissance in Riverside.
It also showcases several artworks of Adan.
Here is a schedule of Cheech Marin`s collection in the center:
June 18, 2022 – May 14, 2023
Inaugural "Cheech Collects"
Late 2023
"Texas in Riverside"
June 7, 2025 – May 3, 2026
"Cheech Collects IV"
Oct 4, 2025 – Jan 11, 2026
"Soy de Tejas: A Statewide Survey of Latinx Art"
Installation shot at Riverside featuring:
“La Bomba,” Oil on canvas, 1992
“Drive-by Asesino,” Oil on canvas, 1992 (Diptych, Gift of Cheech Marin)
“La Sad Girl,” Oil on canvas, 2003
Courtesy of Cheech Marin
Photograph: Ruben C. Cordova
Adan with Cheech Marin,
his biggest collector & supporter
Photograph: Estate of Adan Hernandez
EXHIBITIONS
Adan Hernedez has exhibited both nationally and internationally.
After the success of BLOOD IN BLOOD OUT he took part in his first big group show:
The Art of the Other Mexico: Sources & Meanings
initiated by THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MEXICAN ART in 1993
which later turned into a traveling exhibition across Mexico and the USA.
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MEXICAN ART
1852 W 19th Street
Chicago, IL 60608
Tour Schedule
Mueseo De Arte Moderno, Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City, Mexico
Museo Regional de Oaxaca (Ex Convento de Santo Domingo), Mexico
Cecut-Centro Cultural Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja, Mexico
Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA
Museo del Barrio, New York, NY
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Courtesy by THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MEXICAN ART
His paintings were seen also in the blockbuster traveling exhibitions curated by Cheech Marin, such as
Chicano Visions: American Painters On The Verge, USA
Chicano Now! American Expressions, USA
The Chicano Collection: Fine Art Prints by Modern Multiples
Papel Chicano: Works on Paper
Chicanitas: Small Paintings from the Cheech Marin Collection, USA
Menudo: Chicano Art from the Cheech Marin Collection, USA
As well as the following:
Chicano Dream: Cheech Marin Collection, 1980-2010, Musée d’Aquitaine in Bordeaux, France, EU
Take 10: The past decade of collecting by Cheech Marin, Dobson Main Gallery, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ, USA
Time4Art: A peek into Chicano Art, Manhattan Beach Art Center, Manhattan Beach Boulevard / Manhattan Beach, CA, USA
Los Tejanos : Chicano Art from the Cheech Marin Collection, Corpus Cristi, TX, USA
About Chicano Visions: American Painters On The Verge
A landmark traveling exhibition curated by actor/comedian Cheech Marin, showcasing over 30 prominent Chicano artists.
Touring 15 US cities between 2001–2007, it highlighted vibrant oil/acrylic paintings exploring Chicano culture, politics, and identity, establishing this genre as a significant part of American art.
Tour Schedule
San Antonio, Texas – San Antonio Museum of Art
December 1, 2001 through April 15, 2002
Albuquerque, New Mexico – National Hispanic Cultural Center
February 1 through May 18, 2003
El Paso, Texas – El Paso Museum of Art
June 6, 2003 through September 14, 2003
Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Museum
January 30 through May 2, 2004
San Diego, California – Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla
May 29 through Sept. 12, 2004
Minneapolis, Minnesota – Weisman Art Museum
October 2, 2004 through January 9, 2005
Chicago, Illinois – Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
June 3, 2005 through September 5, 2005
Houston, Texas – O’Kane Gallery of University of Houston
September 30, 2005 through January 1, 2006
St. Louis, Missouri – St. Louis Science Center
January 27, 2006 through May 14, 2006
San Francisco, California – The De Young Museum
July 22 through October 22, 2006
Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale
November 18, 2006 through May 1, 2007
About Chicano Now! American Expressions
Tour Schedule
The Alameda’s Museo Americano in San Antonio, Texas
Dec 1, 2001 through April 15, 2002
Insights: El Paso Museum of Science in El Paso, Texas
Jun 6, 2003 through Jan 4, 2004
Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana
Jan 30 through May 2, 2004
Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, California
May 29 through Sept 12, 2004
Minnesota Museum of American Art in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 2, 2004 through Jan 2, 2005
Saint Louis Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri
Jan 27, 2006 through May 14, 2006
The De Young Museum in San Francisco, California
Jul 22 through Oct 22, 2006
Milwaukee Public Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Feb 3 through Sep 3, 2007
The MUZEO in Anaheim, California
Jan 27 through May 18, 2008
About The Chicano Collection:
Fine Art Prints by Modern Multiples
Tour Schedule
Boathouse Gallery at Plaza de la Raza in Los Angeles, California
Jun 25 through Aug 20, 2005
Riverside Metropolitan Museum in California
Sep 8, 2005 through Jan 15, 2006
Boathouse Gallery at Plaza de la Raza in Los Angeles, California
Feb 11 through Mar 26, 2006
La Raza Galeria Posada in Sacramento, California
Apr 8 through Jul 9, 2006
CSUN Art Galleries at California State University, Northridge
Jun 17 through Jul 9, 2006
Arte Americas in Fresno, California
Jul 21 through Sep 30, 2006
Pico House Gallery at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument in California
Feb 24 through Apr 10, 2007
Downtown Center for the Arts in Oxnard, California
Nov 19, 2006 through Jan 21, 2007
The MUZEO in Anaheim, California
Jan 27 through May 18, 2008
InfoZone News Museum at Pueblo City-County Library in Colorado
Oct 2 through Nov 29, 2009
About Papel Chicano: Works on Paper
Tour Schedule:
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum in Arizona
Sep 15, 2007 through Jan 6, 2008
The MUZEO in Anaheim, California
Jan 27 through May 18, 2008
Latino Cultural Center in Dallas, Texas
Dec 11, 2008 through Feb 21, 2009
Kimball Art Center in Park City, Utah
Mar 21 through May 3, 2009
About Chicanitas:
Small Paintings from the Cheech Marin Collection
Tour Schedule
Mesa Arts Center Museum in Arizona
Mar 11 through Jul 31, 2011
Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame in Indiana
Sep 4 through Nov 13, 2011
Museum of Monterey in California
Dec 10, 2011 through Jul 7, 2012
Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington
Jan 10 through Mar 24, 2013
Staniar Gallery, Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia
Apr 22 through May 31, 2013
Ellen Noël Art Museum in Odessa, Texas
Jun 21 through Aug 18, 2013
University of Wyoming Art Museum in Laramie, Wyoming
Sep 7 through Nov 23, 2013
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in California
Dec 21, 2013 through Mar 23, 2014
Las Cruces Museum of Art in New Mexico
May 2 through Jul 19, 2014
Texas Tech University School of Art, Landmark Gallery in Lubbock, Texas
Oct 3 through Dec 14, 2014
Humboldt State University, First Street Gallery in Eureka, California
Jan 27 through Mar 8, 2015
Mulvane Art Museum in Topeka, Kansas
Mar 27 through May 17, 2015
Vincent Price Art Museum in Los Angeles, California
Jun 13 through Aug 1, 2015
Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, Texas
Sep 18, 2015 through Jan 10, 2016
Amarillo Museum of Art in Texas
Jan 30 through Mar 27, 2016
Carlsbad Museum & Art Center in New Mexico
Nov 18, 2016 through Jan 29, 2017
LA MIGRA GETS ZAPPED BY ILLEGAL ALIENS
Centro de Artes Texas A and M University
Collection of Dr. Ruben Cordova
Adan in front of VRILLANTE ILUSION, UN BALAZO EN LA NOCHE & RUCA IN A PILE-UP
Exhibition: Pintores De Aztlán
La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain
2007
Curated by Cheech Marin & Mireia Sentis
Adan at Gallery 118 during the
Luminarias Art Nite in San Antonio
March 2008
SOLO & GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1985
Art of the Other Mexico, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center theatre, SA, TX
1985
Gallery Jansen-Pérez, SA, TX
1988
Gallery Jansen-Pérez, SA, TX
1990
Tejanos, Alvar and Carmen de Carrillo Gil Art Museum in Mexico City, Mexico City, MEX
1991
Drawings: Additions to the Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, USA
1993
Art of the Other Mexico
Curated by René H. Arceo Frutos, Juana Gúzman, and Amalia Mesa-Baines
1994
MILAGROS GALERY
990 East Napa St, Sonoma, CA 95476
Curated by Louise Salvador and Kenny Clayton
Specializing in folk art from around the world and antiques, the gallery is closed now.
Among others, Adan exhibited "Rayo II" from 1992.
2002
Chicano Now! American Expressions
Cheech Marin Collection
2002
Chicano Art in the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., USA
Curated by Tomás Ybarra-Frausto
2004
Latino Expressions, Centro Cultural Aztlán, SA, TX, USA
Curated by Ruben C. Cordova, Co-curated with Arturo Almeida, Ellen Clark, and Angelika Jansen
2005
The Chicano Collection: Fine Art Prints by Modern Multiples
Curated by Cheech Marin
2007
Pintores De Aztlan, Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain, EU
Curated by Cheech Marin
2008
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2008
Los Angelenos / Chicano Painters of L.A.: Selections from the Cheech Marin Collection, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Curated by Cheech Marin
2008
Papel Chicano: Works on Paper
Curated by Cheech Marin
2008
30th Annual CineFestival, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, SA, TX, USA
2008
Gallery 118, SA, TX, USA
2009
Menudo: Chicano Art from the Cheech Marin Collection
Curated by Cheech Marin
2011
Chicanitas: Small Paintings from the Cheech Marin Collection
Curated by Cheech Marin
2014
Chicano Dream: Cheech Marin Collection, 1980-2010, Musée d’Aquitaine in Bordeaux, France, EU
Curated by Cheech Marin
2015
Take 10: The past decade of collecting by Cheech Marin, Dobson Main Gallery, Mesa Arts Center, Mesa, AZ, USA
Curated by Cheech Marin
2016
Time4Art: A peek into Chicano Art, Manhattan Beach Art Center, Manhattan Beach Boulevard / Manhattan Beach, CA, USA
Curated by Cheech Marin
2018
The Other Side of the Alamo: Art Against the Myth, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, SA, TX, USA
Curated by Cheech Marin
2018
Los Tejanos : Chicano Art from the Cheech Marin Collection, Corpus Cristi, TX, USA
Curated by Cheech Marin
