Armando García Menocal, one of the most celebrated Cuban painters, was born on July 8, 1868, and died on September 28, 1942. He spent most of his life in his hometown of Havana. Before turning 18, he had already completed his studies at the San Alejandro Academy. He then traveled to Madrid, where he received several awards for his outstanding work, including Second Prize at the National Exhibition in Madrid, awarded for his work “Generosidad Castellana.”

Upon his return to Cuba, he continued his work, now imbued with the main European pictorial movements. His work Embarkation of Columbus at Bobadilla was conceived specifically for the Chicago Exposition of 1893. The piece depicted the Discoverer of America in chains, a move opposed by the Spanish authorities, but it was nevertheless exhibited unchanged at the Tacón Theater in Havana. This constituted one of his first confrontations with colonial power, present in much of his work.

When the armed uprising of 1895 broke out, Menocal joined the insurrection and even served as an assistant to Máximo Gómez, without ever abandoning his artistic vocation. His experiences allowed him to capture in his pieces a vivid picture not only of the war exploits but also of the tragedy of the wounded and the most difficult events, such as the death of Antonio Maceo, a representation of which is preserved in the city museum. It even won the gold medal at the California Exposition in 1915. Other pieces in this vein included The Battle of the Coliseum and The Invasion.

The distinguished painter also decorated some of the city’s illustrious institutions, such as the Presidential Palace and the University of Havana, works dating back to 1918. For the magnificent educational center, he designed the pieces Medicine, Fine Arts, Science, Thought, Law, Commerce, and Astronomy, reflecting the main disciplines taught there. He was a cousin of Mario García Menocal, the former President of the Republic, and was closely associated with these commissions, motivated primarily by the value of Menocal’s work.

He also decorated a chateau owned by Lady Rosalía Abreu, located in the Palatino neighborhood. In addition to his historical subjects and portraits, he created seascapes, still lifes, and mythological works, encompassing a fairly broad creative spectrum. For several years, he was a professor of Landscape at the San Alejandro Academy. He is one of the essential figures in Cuban painting during the transition between the 19th and 20th centuries, and certainly one of the main foundations of our visual arts.