Isabel Martins Lhano, daughter of painter Martins Lhano and sister by the artist Graça Martins, was born in Vila do Conde, in the 1950s. She studied at Escola Soares dos Reis and then at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Porto, where she entered in 1971. She received a scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 1971 and 1972.

In 1983 he began preparing his first exhibition, INQUIETAÕES, at Fundação Eugénio de Almeida, and returned from Porto to live in Vila do Conde.  In 1992 it is She is responsible for the programming and artistic direction of the Vila do Conde Municipal Auditorium Gallery, and was later also invited to organize exhibitions in that same auditorium. He was part of the artistic direction of the Delaunay gallery between 1996 and 1999.  É author of the “Mom’arte” Project, co-responsible for the organization and member of the selection and awards jury – Carmo Convent Vila do Conde, 1998. 

He was awarded the 1st; Sarrió Graphic Competition Prize, with the catalog “Acto do Corpo”, at SNBA. and edited a screen print by the Centro Português de Serigraphy, Lisbon, in 1999.

 Presented ELOGIO DO ESSENTIAL, in Famalicão, already in 2004. A reflective exhibition, in which the artist explores, in an almost cinematographic tone, different perspectives. In his own words "one day I dreamed of an exhibition of mine with just eyes and then I started thinking about looks. I'm going to tell a story with looks."

The artist is represented at the Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso Museum, at the VN de Cerveira Museum of Contemporary Art and by acquisition at the Northern Delegation of the Ministry of Culture and at the Eng. Antó Foundation ;nio Almeida, Porto.

Currently lives and works in Vila do Conde.