BIO

Ramón Menocal is a Cuban-American visual artist whose work bridges restoration, history, and abstraction. Born and trained in Havana, Cuba, he studied drawing and painting at the Academia de San Alejandro, one of the oldest and most respected art schools in Latin America. He later earned a Master’s degree in Art History from the University of Havana.

Early in his career, Menocal worked as an art restorer at the National Center of Restoration and Museums in Havana, where he helped preserve murals and paintings in historic buildings across the city. His expertise led him to Madrid, Spain, on a full scholarship to study Mural Painting Restoration at the Museo Reina Sofía, where he also contributed to the conservation of Francisco de Goya’s frescoes at La Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida.

Upon returning to Cuba, he continued his restoration work in Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, restoring facades and murals that revealed layers of history embedded in the city’s colonial architecture. These experiences deeply influenced his artistic vision, inspiring his fascination with texture, decay, and the passage of time.

Over the years, Menocal’s artistic journey has taken him from Havana to Europe, New York, and Washington, D.C., where he now lives and works in Bethesda, Maryland. His paintings and drawings explore themes of identity, memory, spirituality, and the human condition, blending his Cuban roots with universal reflections on culture and belonging. Gestural abstraction, vibrant color, and layered compositions define his distinctive visual language.

Menocal’s works have been exhibited internationally, including solo and group exhibitions in Cuba, Spain, the Czech Republic, and the United States. His art is part of public and private collections such as the City Hall Art Collection in Washington, D.C., the Graduate Center CUNY (New York), and the Queensborough Community College Art Gallery.

In addition to his studio practice, Ramón Menocal has shared his knowledge through lectures, artist residencies, and workshops, contributing to cultural dialogues that connect Latin American art with the global contemporary scene.