Julio Larraz (Havana, Cuba, 1944) is a contemporary Cuban artist whose work combines realism, memory, imagination, and a distinctive exploration of mystery. Throughout a career spanning more than five decades, he has developed a recognizable pictorial language characterized by his mastery of light, enigmatic compositions, and recurring references to the Caribbean, power, exile, and the human condition.

Larraz was born in Havana and left Cuba with his family in 1961, eventually settling in the United States. Before dedicating himself fully to painting, he worked as a political cartoonist in New York during the 1960s. His illustrations and satirical portraits appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and Esquire, an experience that contributed to his ability to distill characters, gestures, and narratives into powerful visual images.

During the 1970s, Julio Larraz turned his attention to painting, developing his technique largely through self-directed study of the Old Masters. His first solo exhibition took place in Washington, D.C., in 1971, and his work subsequently began to gain international exposure.

Julio Larraz’s artistic style is characterized by technically precise figuration combined with an atmosphere of dreams, ambiguity, and uncertainty. Deep blue seas, ships, solitary figures, scenes of power, and tropical still lifes recur throughout his paintings. Light, shadow, and his distinctive use of white play a fundamental role in compositions that suggest narratives whose meanings remain deliberately unresolved.

His visual language has established a dialogue with artists such as Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth, and Giorgio de Chirico, particularly in its treatment of solitude, space, and mystery.

Julio Larraz’s artworks are held in public and private collections internationally. His career has received distinctions including the Cintas Fellowship and an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Larraz’s relationship with Duque Arango Gallery has developed through several years of collaboration and exhibitions including Casabianca and 80 Circumnavigations of the Sun, presented in Mexico in 2024.