Calzada leaves us his art and the visual legacy that reflect the hopes of exile and the splendor of the free Cuba that is to come
The American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora joins our community in mourning the loss of renowned Cuban-American painter Humberto Calzada—an exceptional artist who, through his work, captured the memory of a grand and noble republic from which he was forcibly exiled following Castro’s rise to power.
Calzada arrived in Miami as an exile with his parents at just 16 years old in 1960. After earning a degree in industrial engineering and working for the prestigious IBM corporation, he decided in 1970 to dedicate himself fully to painting—his true passion.
He was one of the pioneers of the artistic movement known as The Miami Generation, composed of visual artists born in Cuba but aesthetically shaped in exile in Miami.
In contrast to the Cuban artists who chose to remain in Cuba and place their talent in service of Fidel Castro’s dictatorship, Humberto Calzada masterfully depicted the emptiness, nostalgia, and uprootedness experienced by the Cuban exile community. At the same time, he was able to express in his work the unwavering hope of recovering and rebuilding the homeland in all its splendor. That deep loyalty to his identity—expressed through art that turned desolation into light—captivated not only his compatriots but also audiences across borders.
“An icon of Cuban artistic expression has passed away; his art and the visual legacy he leaves behind reflect the hopes of exile and the splendor of a free Cuba that is to come,” said Marcell Felipe, President of the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora.
Our institution honors his artistic legacy, which lives on in the Cuba evoked through each of his paintings, and we join his family, friends, and admirers in mourning his loss and extending our deepest condolences.
There is no final farewell for someone who was such an extraordinary human being. To the host of unforgettable gatherings in his home, where the finest minds in Cuban-American intellectual, artistic, and leadership circles convened. To the man who was always kind, compassionate, and generous. To the creator of realizable utopias, with which the nation he envisioned with his brush will always dream.
The funeral mass in memory of Humberto Calzada will take place on Monday, August 25, at 1:30 p.m., at St. Augustine Church, located at 1400 Miller Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146.
