ALEJANDRO PIÑEIRO BELLO
b. 1990, CubaCuban artist Alejandro Piñeiro Bello’s colourful abstract paintings capture the vibrancy of his homeland and the Caribbean diaspora. His works celebrate Cuba’s nature and life, defiantly reacting against the repression of the island’s population and in 2024 he became the first Cuban contemporary artist to be represented by Pace Gallery.
Early Years
Alejandro Piñeiro Bello was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1990 and studied at the at The National Academy of Fine Arts San Alejandro (2006–2010), later working as a professor in the institution’s Creative Painting department (2010–2011). A three-month stay in New York City during his twenties turned into three years thanks to a grant from The Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation. Based in Miami, Piñeiro Bello has also lived in Los Angeles.
Alejandro Piñeiro Bello: Artworks
Alejandro Piñeiro Bello blends abstraction, figuration and symbolism to bring to life the culture and identity of Cuba and its surrounding islands in sometimes-giant paintings. His produces his work instinctively, concentrating on moments of connection to the subject. Inspired by the Cuban people and the landscapes of his homeland, his works are characterised by strong, saturated areas of colour, brushstrokes and patches of bare canvas.
Influences on his work also include Cuban artists and writers, including Wilfredo Lam, Victor Manuel García Valdés and Virgilio Piñera.
- La Espiral Luminosa (The Luminos Spiral, 2024) evokes ideas of both the deep ocean and the surface of the water with its spiral sweeps that bring blues into more fiery shades at its centre.
- The nightscape Fragmentos Nocturnos (Nocturnal Fragments, 2025) imagines trees, leaves and swirling clouds finding a moon in a purple-drenched landscape.
- Adiós a Cuba (Farewell to Cuba, 2026): titled after a 19th-century piano composition by Ignacio Cervantes, this painting sees a flock of elongated birds in flight from a paradise island, referencing all those who have had to abandon their homelands.
Alejandro Pineiro Bello: Exhibitions
Select Solo Exhibitions
- Ecos (Echoes), KDR305, Miami, Florida (2026)
- Solo Quieor Soñar (I Just Want to Dream), Pace, Hong Kong (2025)
- Entre El Día Y La Noche (Between Day and Night), Pace, London (2024)
- En El Arco Del Caribe (In the Caribbean Arc), KDR305, Miami, Florida (2023–2024)
Further reading
- Alejandro Piñeiro Bello’s website
- Alejandro Piñeiro Bello’s Instagram
- Interview with Alejandro Piñeiro Bello, Observer (2024)
- Alejandro Piñeiro Bello’s artist page, Pace Gallery
Alejandro Piñeiro Bello FAQs
What Are Alejandro Piñeiro Bello’s influences?
Alejandro Piñeiro Bello’s homeland of Cuba—its landscape, history, culture and stories told by his friends—is the biggest influence on the artist’s work. His 2026 exhibition, Ecos, was also influenced by Cuban anthropologist Antonio Benítez Rojo’s idea of the Caribbean as somewhere that cycles through history and a passage from Alejo Carpentier’s novel The Lost Steps (1953).
What materials and techniques does Alejandro Piñerio Bello use?
Alejandro Piñeiro Bello uses traditional materials—including oil on raw linen or burlap—and a strong colour palette of purple, teal, turquoise, orange and jade green, although occasionally leaving patches of blank space. The physical forms in his work can exhibit a dreamlike quality, inspired by his memories.
Where does Alejandro Piñeiro Bello live?
Alejandro Piñeiro Bello is based in Miami, Florida, although he has previously lived in Los Angeles and New York. He left his homeland of Cuba in his twenties, and his artworks reflect the landscapes and culture of the island.
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