Imagined Landscapes: Honoring Humberto Calzada

The Cuban Heritage Collection at the University of Miami will sponsor a conversation examining the life, work and influence of Cuban American artist and University of Miami alumnus Humberto Calzada, who lived from 1944 to 2025.

Calzada was known for paintings that explored architecture, memory and place. His work often drew from his childhood in Havana, including the houses he sketched while traveling to Saint George School in El Vedado.

After his family moved to Miami in 1960 following the Cuban Revolution, Calzada attended Coral Gables Senior High School. He later studied at the University of Miami, earning a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering in 1966 and an M.B.A. in 1968.

Calzada worked at IBM in Boca Raton before becoming a general contractor and building homes throughout Miami-Dade County. During this period, he continued painting and developed a body of work inspired by the architecture of Colonial and Neoclassical Havana, as well as the colors and textures of the Caribbean.

The discussion will feature Carol Damian of the Florida International University School of Art and Art History, Katrin Hansing of the Baruch College Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, and independent scholar, filmmaker and author Eduardo Montes-Bradley.

Victor Deupi of the University of Miami School of Architecture will moderate the conversation.