Jorge Ignacio Nazábal, 1962 | Surrealist painter

Jorge Ignacio Nazábal Cowan was born in Havana, Cuba.

He graduated in Biology at the University of Havana in 1985 and worked twelve years as a biologist in a cytogenetics laboratory.

In 1996 he began to study at the Academy of San Alejandro Arts of Havana and graduated from there in 2000.

In 1997 he left his job as a biologist and devoted himself to painting.

In the early 2000s he had several solo and group exhibitions in Cuba and other countries including Mexico, Spain and Italy.

His classical surrealism draws on Magritte and Dali, particularly using the device of having one set of images implying another - particularly using the kind of optical illusions that Dali enjoyed so much and Magritte's use of stone textured bodies.

He also draws on the late 16th century painter Arcimboldo's device for the figuring of heads and bodies using piled up objects.

Nazábal particularly likes to use butterflies and fruits.