Edel Alvarez Galban (born 1967), also known artistically as A. Galban, is a Cuban American visual artist and physician. His work has been featured in national and international fine art exhibitions and events as well as in public art, published literature, and televised Latin American media. He has been noted as a significant figure of Contemporary Cuban art in Central Florida by helping to establish its presence above South Florida in the 21st century. Galban's work has been exhibited in the United States, Cuba, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

Biography and career

Edel Alvarez Galban was born on September 28, 1967, in

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

where he was also raised. He showed early artistic inclination in his youth, although his initial professional intent was to pursue a medical career in Cuba. However, in 1993 Galban was denied permission from the

Castro government The political career of Fidel Castro saw Cuba undergo significant economic, political, and social changes. In the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro and an associated group of revolutionaries toppled the ruling government of Fulgencio Batista, forcing ...

to practice medicine, therefore he redirected his aspirations back to his passion for the arts. The following year he completed fine arts education from the Federico Engel Art School in Havana where he studied sculpture and draftsmanship. In 1995 Galban permanently emigrated to the United States where he joined the

Cuban exile community in Miami Cuban immigration has greatly influenced modern Miami, creating what is known as "Cuban Miami." However, Miami reflects global trends as well, such as the growing trends of multiculturalism and multiracialism; this reflects the way in which inte ...

. There he continued his medical studies and enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

as a medic where he served for three years. He also continued to pursue and establish his art career. During his Miami period, Galban became connected to significant figures of the Cuban exile art community such as painters Hortensia Gronlier,

José Mijares José Manuel Mijares (born October 29, 1984) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. Mijares pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, and San Francisco Giants. Professional career Minnes ...

, and

Cundo Bermúdez Cundo Bermúdez (September 3, 1914 – October 30, 2008), born Secundino (Cundo) Bermúdez y Delgado, was a Cuban painter. Born in Havana, Cuba, he died of a heart attack in his Westchester home on October 30, 2008. In 1926, Bermudez was admitt ...

. In 2001 Galban completed his medical degree from Colegio Universitario San Judas Tadeo Escuela De Medicina and relocated to

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

, which then became the permanent base for both his art and medical professions. Since relocating to St. Petersburg, Galban gradually emerged as among the most visible Cuban artists of the region as well as a proponent of Cuban art throughout Central Florida, having frequently exhibiting his work throughout

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough Co ...

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...

and Clearwater, as well as supporting other Cuban artists.

Recognition

Galban's work has been exhibited in several international cultural centers and art markets, including New York City, Miami,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Coral Gables Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the U ...

and Puerto Rico. He has exhibited in prominent venues and events as well as literature and television shows. Through his career, Galban's art has been covered by several media outlets including

The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.El Nuevo Herald ''El Nuevo Herald'' is a newspaper published daily in Spanish in Southeast Florida, United States. Its headquarters is in Doral. ''El Nuevo Heralds sister paper is the '' Miami Herald'', also produced by the McClatchy Company. About ''el Nuevo ...

, U.S. News & World Report,

Diario Las Americas Diario (Italian, Spanish "Diary") and ''El Diario'' (Spanish, "The Daily") may refer to: Newspapers, periodicals and websites * ''El Diario'' (Argentina) * ''Diario'' (Aruba) * ''El Diario'' (La Paz), Bolivia * ''Diario Extra'' (Costa Rica) *''Di ...

, ''Arts Coast Magazine'', ''ArtBust Miami'', ''SocialMiami'',

Miami New Times The ''Miami New Times'' is a newspaper published in Miami, Florida, United States, and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami area and is headquartered in Miami's Wynwood Art District. Overview It was acquired by Village Voi ...

, ''Coral Gables News'', ''Revista Enfoque'', ''Caritate Magazine'', ''The Artisan'' Magazine, The ''Biscayne Tribune'', ''Norte America.Mx'', ZoePost, ''Akeru Noticias'', ''Yucatán Cultura'', and ''Art Miami Magazine''. In non-print media, Galban was the focus of a July 2, 2022 episode of the Editorial Akerú Publicaciones video series ''Hagalo con arte''. On February 1, 2024, Galban was interviewed by Miguel Galicia on Performance Radio. His artwork is also featured on the Latin American television show

Raymond y sus Amigos ''Raymond y sus Amigos'' (''Raymond and his friends'') is a Puerto Rican live television sketch comedy, political satire, and variety show created by Raymond Arrieta and developed by Tony Mojena that airs on Telemundo de Puerto Rico. The show's ...

. Galban has exhibited alongside several internationally established artists including

Clyde Butcher Clyde Butcher (born September 6, 1942) is an American large-format camera photographer known for wilderness photography of the Florida landscape. He began his career doing color photography before switching to large-scale black-and-white landscap ...

Josignacio Josignacio (b. José Ignacio Sánchez-Rius, in Havana, Cuba, on October 24, 1963) is a Cuban Contemporary artist and author. He is among the most significant living contemporary Cuban and Latin American artists due to his career auction records, ...

, ,

Adriano Nicot Adriano Adolfo Fernandez Nicot is a Cuban-American painter and poet based in Miami, Florida. He is known for a distinctive Neo-Expressionist style and is closely associated with the prominent Cuban artists Antonia Eiriz, Manuel Vidal Fernández, ...

, and Jorge Dans, as well was collected by prominent collectors including artist Hortensia Gronlier, Froilán Escobar, former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

coach

Joe Maddon Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball. Maddon began his coaching career in MLB ...

, and philanthropist Rob Canton. Galban's work has featured in the Miami, Orlando, and Tampa installments of the ''Nude Nite'' exhibition, the largest exhibition of nude-themed art in the United States. In 2014 Galban was the subject of a solo exhibition in Puerto Rico's Museo de Artes de San German. The following year, in 2015, he was selected to participate in the

Make-A-Wish Foundation The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of and 18 years old. Make-A-Wish was founded in 1980 and headquar ...

's ''Beautiful Worries'' art exhibition. In 2022 Galban was the featured artist of the International Ballet Festival of Miami, which included a solo exhibition of his work, titled ''Visages de L’art'', in the

Adrienne Arsht Center The Arsht Center is a performing arts center located in Miami, Florida. It is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The center was partly built on the site of a former Sears department store; an Art Deco building const ...

as well as the commission to design the events poster for that year. In 2023, Galban was awarded the

National Endowment of the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

Beyond Placemaking grant of US$10,000. Among Galban's culturally significant works is the painting ''La Noche Bella No Deja Dormir'' (2021). Depicting Cuban national hero

José Martí José Julián Martí Pérez (; January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) was a Cuban nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, and publisher, who is considered a Cuban national hero because of his role in the liber ...

, the piece was selected in 2023 to be converted into a

public art Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...

mural in the Clearwater Main Library. It is also featured on the cover of the book of the same name by Froilan Escobar. A significant collaboration in Galban's career has been his work with the award-winning Latin American author and painter Froilán Escobar, which have ranged from the visual arts and into published literature. Galban's work has been the subject of the books ''Agalban: The Colors of Life'' (2022) and ''Agalban El color del deslumbramiento'' (2023). His work has been featured in published literature by prominent Latin American authors, such as Froilan Escobar and

José León Sánchez José León Sánchez Alvarado (19 April 1929 – 15 November 2022) In 2024, Galban initiated and co-curated the ''Flora & Fauna'' exhibition, held in The Gallery at Creative Pinellas, the former site of the

Gulf Coast Museum of Art The Gulf Coast Museum of Art was located at 12211 Walsingham Road, Largo, Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by ...

. The exhibition was co-curated by Tarin Mohajeri and established a high profile with the inclusion of several prominent and internationally-established artists such as

, and Jorge Dans. ''Flora & Fauna'' was covered by ''The Artisan Magazine'',

, as well as television media.

Analysis

Galban's artistic style is eclectic. Despite beginning his studies in sculpture, Galban transitioned into painting to better express and work with color. He is known professionally in the arts as AGalban, an abbreviation of both his last names per

Spanish naming customs Spanish names are the traditional way of identifying, and the official way of registering, a person in Spain. They comprise a given name (simple or composite) and two surnames (the first surname of each parent). Traditionally, the first surna ...

, and it is also how he typically signs his work. He draws influence primarily from

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

as well as

Cuban art Cuban art is an exceptionally diverse cultural blend of African, South American, European, and North American elements, reflecting the diverse demographic makeup of the island. Cuban artists embraced European modernism, and the early part of the 2 ...

and design. His Spanish influences include

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , , ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona i ...

Antoni Gaudí Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (; ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalan architect from Spain known as the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works have a highly individualized, '' sui generis'' style. Most are located in Barc ...

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in ...

, and

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he is ...

, whereas his Cuban influences include Mario Carreño and other members of the Cuban Vanguardia movement. Galban's backgrounds are produced first as textural,

abstract Abstract may refer to: * ''Abstract'' (album), 1962 album by Joe Harriott * Abstract of title a summary of the documents affecting title to parcel of land * Abstract (law), a summary of a legal document * Abstract (summary), in academic publishi ...

, and

mixed-media In visual art, mixed media describes work of art, artwork in which more than one Art medium, medium or material has been employed. Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different List of art media, media. M ...

color fields. Another defining element of his work include his use of symbolic and conceptual elements. His human figures are typically

cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

— having only one eye – whereas he conceptually replaces the missing eye with the eye of the viewer. Rendered in a

Cubistic Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

style that divides the face, the missing eye also represents the expression "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," as well as acknowledging the role of shifting perspectives that various audiences of viewers have in influencing the impact of an artwork. He frequently works in series, and his ongoing series’ include: ''Personas'', ''Lucias'', ''Las Flores del Mal'', ''Gaudi y yo'', ''Jardines Invisibles'' (with Froilan Escobar), ''El bufón'', ''Eva y Mariela'', ''Caracol Erotico'', ''Mi Divina Comedia'', ''Cancionero'', ''Cuba se va, Seavolve'', ''El Monte'', ''Los Feos'', ''Desojando Margaritas'', ''Locuras'', ''4 Estaciones en Bicicleta'', ''Sábanas Blancas'', ''Club 27'', ''Miseria y Propaganda'', and ''Illusion of Distortion''. Galban's work has been critiqued by several art critics including Raysa White, Antonio Permuy, Armando de Armas, and Osiris Gaona. Commenting on Galban's art and use of character studies, leading Contemporary Cuban artist

has critiqued: “ albanenters the soul of his paintings and portraits through the eyes, his colors and shapes take us directly to them and once in that silence he betrays the mood and state of mind of his characters."

Select works

File:Flor_De_Mal_2020_by_AGalban.jpeg, ''Flor de Mal'' (2020) File:Bicycling_in_Fall_by_AGalban,_2021.jpg, ''Bicycling in Fall'' (2021) File:Miseria_Y_Propaganda_by_AGalban,_2023.jpg, ''Miseria y Propaganda'' (2023)

Select Exhibitions

* 2001 – Solo exhibition, Escuela de Medicina San Judas Tadeo, Costa Rica * 2005 – Collective Exhibition, Ybor City Community College * 2006 – Collective Exhibition, Barebrush Gallery, Chelsea, New York City * 2010 – ''Muestra de amor y erotismo'', Amarte Gallery * 2013 – ''Pinceladas de Amor'', La Barrica, Puerto Rico * 2014 – Solo Exhibition, Museo de Artes de San German, Puerto Rico * 2015 – ''Art Is Everywhere'', Miami, FL * 2015 – ''Beautiful Worries Art Exhibition'', Make-A-Wish Foundation * 2015 – ''Nude Nite'', Tampa, FL * 2018 – ''Nude Nite'', Tampa, FL * 2021 – Solo Exhibition, Casa Clinic, Clearwater, FL * 2022 – Miami Power Team Art Festival 2022, Miami, FL * 2022 – ''Xplicit'', House of Shadows, Tampa, FL * 2022 – "Bloom", Artloft galleries, St. Petersburg, FL * 2022 – ''Jardines Invisibles'', Hernan Gamboa Gallery, Miami, FL * 2022 – Solo exhibition, ''Visages de L’art'', XXVII International Ballet Festival of Miami * 2022 – ''Rostros del Arte'', Miami Hispanic Cultural Art Center * 2023 – ''El Arte: Echoes of Cuba'', Clearwater Public Library * 2023 – ''Mixed Messages'', Soft Water Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL * 2023 – ''Illusion of Distortion'', Solo Exhibition, Embassy Suites in Hilton Tampa Airport * 2023 – 9th Annual Arians Family Foundation Charity Auction, Clearwater, FL * 2024 – ''Florida & Fauna'', The Gallery at Creative Pinellas, Largo, FL

Personal life

Alvarez Galban is married to Rebecca Lauren. He has two children: a daughter, Lucia, and son, Lennon. He resides in St. Petersburg, Florida.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez Galban, Edel 1967 births Living people Artists from Havana Cuban artists Cuban painters 20th-century Cuban painters 20th-century Cuban male artists 21st-century Cuban painters 21st-century Cuban male artists Cuban contemporary artists 21st-century American painters American male painters Cuban emigrants to the United States Naturalized citizens of the United States American primary care physicians Cuban male painters Artists from Florida Painters from Florida People from St. Petersburg, Florida 21st-century American male artists

Biography and career

Recognition

Analysis

Select works

Select Exhibitions

Personal life

See also

References