A renowned Cuban artist, Gina Pellon was born in 1926 in Cumanayagua, Las Villas, Cuba. has lived and worked in Paris since 1959. She has worked continuously for over four decades as a painter, graphic artist, and poet until her death .Her work has been particularly well received in northern Europe due in part to her connection with the Danish COBRA movement, one of the most important vanguard artistic groups in that part of the world.Her career in Europe was very prolific with extensive exhibitions in Paris, Lausanne, Brussels, Amsterdam, Toulouse, Silkebour (Denmark) and in Larvik (Norway). She has also had one-person shows and group exhibitions in other cities such as, Miami, New York and Caracas, among others.Pellon has received numerous awards and honors, and her work has been exhibited and collected around the world.
Alejo Carpentier y Valmont December 26, 1904 – April 24, 1980) was a Cuban novelist, essayist, and musicologist who greatly influenced Latin American literature during its famous "boom" period. Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, of French and Russian parentage, Carpentier grew up in Havana, Cuba, and despite his European birthplace, he strongly identified as Cuban throughout his life. He traveled extensively, particularly in France.