Emilio Sanchez was born in Camagüey, Cuba, in 1921. He began his artistic training at the Art Students League in 1944 when he moved to New York City, where he lived until he died in 1999. However, it was in Cuba that he became fascinated with the play of light and shadow on colored forms that became a dominant characteristic of his works. His early works of the 1950s are stylized and figurative depicting themes such as portraits of friends and models, views of New York and tropical landscapes.

In the 1960s, his works became significantly more abstract, though always maintaining a strong sense of naturalism. It is during this decade that his work matured into an individual vision and when he began to develop his well-known paintings of houses and architectural themes. These architectural works stand out for their simplified forms where all superfluous details are eliminated. Stripped down to their essence these structures acquire universal meaning. Here he captured the effect of light on color making it vibrant. Despite the fact that his buildings are often devoid of visible inhabitants, they hold a strong living presence of their own.