José Bedia

José Bedia is a Cuban artist whose paintings, drawings, sculptures and installations explore spiritual, cultural and ancestral traditions, particularly those of Afro-Cuban, Afro-Diasporic and Indigenous cultures. His distinctive pared-down style — characterised by stylised figures, ritual symbols and fragments of text — has established him as one of the most significant Cuban artists of his generation.

Born in Havana, Cuba in 1959, Bedia studied at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas San Alejandro before attending the Instituto Superior de Arte, where he graduated in 1981. His longstanding interests in anthropology, mythology and philosophy inform a practice that often draws on Afro-Cuban religions, including Santería and Palo Monte, alongside Indigenous traditions and imagery.

Bedia emerged in the early 1980s as part of a generation that helped reshape contemporary Cuban art, participating in the landmark exhibition Volumen Uno in Havana in 1981. He moved to Miami in 1993, where he still resides. Working across painting, drawing, sculpture and large-scale installation, Bedia’s work examines connections between humans, animals, nature and the spiritual world. Notable works include Mamá Kalunga (1992) and Algo incontrolable (2005), which was sold by Christie’s for US$30,480 in 2026.

Bedia has exhibited internationally, including at the Venice, Havana, São Paulo and Beijing Biennales, and his work is held in major public collections including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London and the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana. Recent exhibitions include Viaje Circular at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey in 2023 and Bestiary & Idols at Mendes Wood DM, New York, in 2024.