Liu Kemin was born in Tangshan, Hebei Province, in 1938. He graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Central Art Academy in 1965, and was assigned to a teaching position in the Architectural Department of Tongji University in Shanghai. He now heads the Architectural Design Art Research Office of the Tongji Institute of Architecture and City Planning.

Liu is well-versed in oil painting, but is also known for his murals and his propaganda designs.