Cuban painting is rich cultural mixture of European, African and North American styles reflecting diversified demographic structure of this amazing island.

First stage of Cuban painting history started in 1818 when San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts was founded. Then development of painting Cuba started moving faster. The second stage refers to 1830-s; it is connected with strong influence of European avant-garde, nevertheless Cuban face of painting persisted. Beginning of XX century is the period of first commercialization of painting in Cuba, when first museums and art galleries were founded.

One of the most famous and recognizable Cuban painting is The Tropical Gipsy (1929) by Victor Manuel Garcia. He became the founder of modernism in Cuban art; his name is connected with beginning of golden age of Cuban painting.

The most famous painter of Cuba is Wifredo Lam (1902-1982) who created his own style based on cubism, African masks and surrealism. For a certain period of time he even worked together with legendary Pablo Picasso.

The prominent Cuban painters of 1930-1940-s are Amelia Pelaez and Rene Portocarrero whose works are significantly influenced by European avant-garde. Cuban painting art of this period is also connected to some degree with Mexican mural painting.

In 1959 National Art School and Highest Art Institute have been established. It was done within governmental program of artistic education. The next stage of Cuban painting is characterized by plenty of painters of avant-gardism. In recent years we can observe a lot of new talented painters in Cuba working in various blended modern artistic genres.

Cuban art obtains international acknowledgement in particular due to art exhibitions. National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana can tell a lot about modern Cuban painting. During last several decades, popularity of Cuban painting and accordingly prices for the paintings of Cuban artists extremely grew up due to increase in demand to it from the side of prosperous Cuban-Americans in USA.