Known for his evocative depictions of architecture, memory, and place, famed Cuban American artist and University of Miami alumnus Humberto Calzada (1944-2025) created a body of work that continues to resonate across generations.
Join us for a conversation celebrating Calzada’s life, artistic achievements, and lasting influence.
FEATURING
Carol Damian, Florida International University School of Art and Art History
Katrin Hansing, Baruch College Weissman School of Arts and Sciences
Eduardo Montes-Bradley, Independent scholar, filmmaker, and author
MODERATED BY
Victor Deupi, University of Miami School of Architecture
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Humberto Calzada (1944-2025) nurtured his childhood dream of becoming an architect by sketching houses he encountered on his daily journey to his elementary school, the Saint George School in El Vedado, Cuba. After his family relocated to Miami, Florida, in 1960 following the Cuban Revolution, he attended Coral Gables Senior High School. Calzada then pursued engineering studies at the University of Miami, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering in 1966 and an M.B.A. in 1968.
While working at IBM in Boca Raton, his passion for architecture and design continued to grow. Transitioning to become a general contractor, he constructed several homes in Miami-Dade County, including his own residence in South Miami. Concurrently, he delved into painting as a hobby, seeking to capture the opulence of Colonial and Neoclassical Havana homes and the vivid colors and textures of the Caribbean, pieced together from memories and the sketches from his childhood that he had brought with him.
