Emilio Cruz

Emilio Cruz (1938–2004) was born in New York City where he lived for most of his life. An African-American born of Cuban descent, his continued deliberation on the mythic dimensions of human experience and expression carried through his multiple identities and activities as a visual artist, poet, playwright, and musician. For many years this veteran artist worked on paintings that involved large themes alluding to archetypes from a transcultural web of belief systems and traditions. Cruz was convinced that in order to produce any art of significance, one must have a clear commitment to humanity and its universal moral imperatives.

He said “…integrity is formulated by acknowledging those things that we find inform us about the nature of the human spirit. The word inspired means ‘in the spirit’. (Being) in the spirit is always avant-garde. For this reason, Paleolithic art always seems new, because it defines the moment of inspiration, through certainty of truth.”